Authorities have broken up an alleged dog fighting ring in Minneapolis and New Hope, saving 15 pit bulls and making one arrest, a city spokesman announced Wednesday.
Search warrants served at 10 locations found the dogs, two guns, narcotics, dog fighting paraphernalia and a dog fighting training manual, according to spokesman Matt Lindstrom.
The arrest so far of one man, who was renting various houses through the county in which to keep the dogs, provided a peek into what officers call an underground illicit sport that can pay out $15,000 for one game.
"Dog fighting is a terrible crime that is harmful to not only the dogs involved, but the overall community as well," wrote Lindstrom. He urged people to call 311 if they suspected any form of animal cruelty in their neighborhood.
Sgt. Lindsay Wagner said the loser dogs in such illicit fighst typically are killed. In this case, she and other officers seized 10 adult dogs and five puppies.
