WILKESBORO (AP) ó A North Carolina judge has ordered that more than 125 pit bulls be destroyed despite the efforts of an animal advocacy group to have the dogs evaluated before determining their fate.
The Winston-Salem Journal reported that Superior Court Judge Ed Wilson Jr. ordered Monday that the animals seized from a dogfighting ring be destroyed. County officials said Wilson didn’t have a choice because of state and county laws regarding the definition of dangerous dogs.
They said state statutes define dogs involved in dogfighting as dangerous, and a county ordinance requires that dangerous dogs be destroyed.
The 127 pit bulls, including about 60 puppies, were seized Dec. 10 during a raid at Wildside Kennels. County officials say there are about 150 dogs now because several litters have been born.
Best Friends Animal Society had offered to pay to have the dogs evaluated and to spay or neuter the adoptable ones.
“Those dogs are going to be killed solely because of prejudice,” said Ledy VanKavage, an attorney for Best Friends Animal Society, who described the order as “a massacre.”
Three people have pleaded guilty in the case, including the kennel owner, Ed Faron, 61. He pleaded guilty Thursday to 14 counts of felony dogfighting and was sentenced to eight to 10 months in prison. His adopted son, Donni Juan Casanova, 18, pleaded guilty to one count of felony dogfighting and was given a suspended sentence of six to eight months.
Amanda Grace Lunsford, 25, the third defendant in the case, pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals. She was sentenced to 45 days, which was suspended for 24 months of supervised probation.
A judge had awarded the dogs to Wilkes County last month after Faron didn’t pay $52,925 that the county had requested for boarding and care.
Wilkes Animal Control Director Junior Simmons told the judge that some of the dogs that were puppies when they were seized in December were already showing aggression toward each other.
“They’re not just play fighting,” he said. “They’re starting to draw blood.”
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Information from: Winston-Salem Journal, http://www.journalnow.com