The United States Is Suing Dogs

More than 60 dogs were listed as defendants in a new forfeiture case filed by a Georgia prosecutor.

Peter D. Leary, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia who was appointed to his position by President Joe Biden, on Tuesday filed a complaint regarding the 67 "pit bull-type dogs" believed to have been involved in dogfighting in Mitchell County, Georgia.

The Mitchell County Sheriff's Office received a complaint of animal cruelty at a residence in Sale City on February 21 and conducted a wellness check the following day. During the check, they found "a large number of pit bull-type dogs, on chains, in the woods." A court quickly granted a warrant for investigators to seize the dogs, and agents did so the next day.

Now, Leary's office has filed a civil lawsuit for the forfeiture of each dog, as well as the offspring the dogs may have before or after the final order, according to a copy of the complaint reviewed by Newsweek. The complaint cites the Animal Welfare Act as the basis for forfeiting the dogs. It only lists the dogs as defendant property rather than any individual suspected in the case.

Newsweek reached out to Leary's office and the Mitchell County Sheriff's' Office for comment via email.

In addition to locating the dogs, investigators' search also yielded several objects commonly associated with dog fighting, including treadmills and swim tanks used to train dogs for fighting, a large amount of medical and veterinary equipment and break sticks, which are used to "manually pry apart the dogs' jaws," according to the complaint.

The dogs were also found "separated from one another, mostly on heavy chains tethered to the ground. After the dogs were secured in February, a veterinarian also found multiple wounds and scars "consistent with dog fighting," on the dogs, according to the complaint. Additionally, one dog had an improperly treated broken leg.

Investigations into the dogs have yielded one arrest, the Mitchell County Sheriff's Office wrote in a February 24 Facebook post. However, the individual arrested has not been identified, and it remains unclear which, if any, charges were brought against them. The identity of that individual has not been confirmed by law enforcement.

"67 Pitbull Dogs were recently rescued by the Mitchell County Sheriff's Office with the assistance of Mitchell County Code Enforcement, the USDA-OIG, and the GBI. The dogs were part of a dog fighting and cruelty to animals case that has resulted in one arrest so far and an ongoing investigation," the post reads.

Rehabilitation efforts for all of the dogs and puppies "will be attempted," according to the post.

Dogfighting, which is classified as a crime that has raised concern from animal advocates due to the violent nature of the practice and oftentimes poor conditions the dogs live in, affects thousands of dogs each year in the United States. Dogs are regularly rescued from dogfighting in the U.S.

More than 16,000 dogs are estimated to die each year from dogfighting in the U.S., according to the National Humane Education Society. Meanwhile, the Humane Society of the United States estimates that more than 4,000 Americans participate in organized dogfighting.