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Sheriff's Office Investigating
Illegal Dog Concern about illegal dog fighting rings arose again over the weekend
with the discovery of the remains of six dogs in Loblockee Creek. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said that deputies from his office responded to the call and believe that the dogs were dumped sometime between 8:30 p.m. Thursday and 3:35 p.m. on Friday. If found, Jones said, those responsible for dumping the animals could face animal cruelty charges. Jones said that his office is working closely with Lee County Animal Cruelty Investigator Jama Singley to resolve the complaint. Singley could not be reached for comment Monday. As the Opelika-Auburn News reported in September, Jones said law enforcement officials are aware of the active organized and street dog fighting circuits throughout Lee County. "(We get complaints) off and on," Jones said Monday. "It's not something we get all the time. "But when we receive complaints of people rumored to be fighting dogs, we certainly look into those situations," Jones said Monday. "We look into those reports and take them seriously." Complicating matters for the owners of the property where the dogs were found is confusion about who is responsible for cleaning up the dogs' remains. Jones said he was unaware of any government agency that would respond to such a request. According to the Humane Society of the United States, dog fighting operations typically spawn other illegal activity in addition to animal cruelty, such as gambling, prostitution, money laundering, drugs and weapons possession and other kinds of violence, including homicide. Dog fighting is banned in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia and is a felony in 48 states, including Alabama, where it is also a felony to possess a dog for fighting purposes and attend dog fighting events
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