ASPCA Aids in Major Dog Fighting Bust

[MeSheLL]

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Late last week, the ASPCA joined the Humane Society of the United States and Madison County Animal Control in the morning raid of Shake Down Kennels, an alleged dog fighting operation in Danielsville, GA. The kennel’s owner, Johnny Stewart Johnson, Jr., was charged with eight counts of felony dog fighting—one count for each of the seven pit bulls seized by the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, and an additional count of possessing dog fighting paraphernalia.

Fresh off the record-breaking puppy mill raid in Tennessee, the ASPCA’s Senior Director of Veterinary Forensics, Dr. Melinda Merck, was on the ground in Georgia with our Mobile Animal Crime Scene Investigation Unit in order to examine and care for the dogs as well as gather and immediately process forensic evidence.

The raid of Shake Down Kennels is Georgia’s first dog fighting bust since the May passage of legislation that strengthened the state’s dog fighting law, making it a felony to own, possess, train, transport or sell a dog for the purpose of fighting. Under the new law, Johnson, 28, could be fined $5,000 and face one to five years in prison on each of the eight felony counts against him.

“It was a privilege to be a part of this organized and thorough investigation,” says Merck, herself a Georgia resident. “Dog fighting cases are very complex, and it sometimes takes multiple resources in order to effectively bring them down. Now that Georgia’s animal fighting law really has some teeth, we should expect a serious crackdown on dog fighters in this great state in the months and years to come.”

For complete details, please read our latest press release. And to learn more about dog fighting, please visit ASPCA.org/dogfighting.