On September 31, a U.S. Division of Protection (DOD) official and his longtime affiliate had been reportedly arrested on felony fees of “selling and furthering dogfighting,” following FBI raids on each males’s homes. Hopefully, this motion by regulation enforcement rings the demise knell for an allegedly infamous Mid-Atlantic dogfighting group.

Frederick Douglass Moorefield Jr. and Mario Flythe allegedly promoted dogfights via The DMV Board, a community of personal group chats reportedly used to coordinate dogfights throughout Washington, D.C.; Maryland; Virginia; and different states since not less than 2015.

Investigation Revealed A long time-Lengthy Historical past of Dogfighting

The investigation into Moorefield was reportedly launched in 2018 by Anne Arundel County Animal Care & Management after two canines’ corpses had been apparently discovered dumped in a pet food bag allegedly containing mail addressed to him. The seek for extra info turned a joint effort among the many native company, the FBI, the U.S. Division of Justice, and the U.S. Division of Agriculture.

In the course of the raid, federal brokers reportedly discovered a complete of 12 canines languishing in enclosures and seized all of them. However this appears to have solely scratched the floor of Moorefield and Flythe’s alleged canine abuse, as investigators have reportedly discovered extra proof seemingly courting Moorefield’s involvement with dogfighting again to 2002.

The DOD has reportedly confirmed that following this bombshell revelation, it not employs Moorefield however has refused to elaborate additional. If convicted of their at the moment reported fees, Moorefield and Flythe face a most sentence of 5 years in federal jail.

Devices of Torture: What Did the Feds Discover Throughout Their Raid?

In the course of the FBI’s raid of Moorefield’s dwelling, brokers reportedly found mountains of chilling proof, together with the next objects:

• A crude gadget made for killing canines by electrocution
• A medical staple gun, probably used to shut canines’ gaping wounds
• Veterinary steroids
• Gear, akin to weighted collars, generally used to situation canines for preventing
• Coaching schedules
• A cellphone with entry to the encrypted chats used to coordinate dogfights and related actions
• A tool made for forcibly inseminating feminine canines
• Bloodstains on partitions, carpeting, furnishings, plywood, and different supplies in keeping with dogfights

The DMV Board Continues to Unravel

The DMV Board chats had been allegedly used to arrange fights and conduct gross sales of canines bred for use in preventing. They had been additionally reportedly host to conversations about killing canines who misplaced fights, exchanging movies of fights, evading regulation enforcement, and sharing abusive coaching strategies.

A number of folks related with The DMV Board have pleaded responsible and been sentenced to jail for his or her crimes throughout the previous 12 months. ABC Information reported {that a} recognized dogfighter aided regulation enforcement within the investigation in opposition to Moorefield, and apparently claimed that Moorefield skilled canines for preventing and wager on fights, along with his alleged exercise as a promoter.

Dogfighting Is a Despicable Blood ‘Sport’—and a Felony

Canine needs to be handled as household by their human guardians. As an alternative of being cherished and liked, canines who’re used for preventing are handled as meaningless objects. They’re chained, taunted, and starved so as to set off excessive survival instincts and encourage aggressive conduct. Canine who refuse to struggle or who lose in fights are sometimes used as “bait” animals, and typically they’re even deserted, tortured, set on fireplace, electrocuted, shot, drowned, or crushed to demise.

Survivors of those hellish operations are sometimes too traumatized and doubtlessly harmful to be thought of for placement adoption.

A number of skilled athletes have come out with PETA in opposition to dogfighting, together with “Sugar” Shane Mosley, Lamon Brewster, and Thiago “The Pitbull” Alves. Combating is just a sport when members consent, which is one thing canines can’t do.

Tethering, Chaining, and Caging Canine Outdoor Is Abuse

Dogfighters and all others who chain and tether canines traumatize them by depriving them of affection, respect, safety, and their primary bodily requirements.

Canine stored chained and/or penned exterior—typically known as “yard canines”—are disadvantaged of satisfactory meals, water, shelter, and veterinary care. Their bodily, social, and emotional wants are ignored.

These canines are utterly susceptible to the weather—numerous chained canines are left to freeze to demise throughout chilly snaps or die of heatstroke on sweltering summer time days. Nonetheless others wrestle to outlive rising floodwaters from extreme storms.

By no means chain a canine open air. Study extra concerning the struggles chained canines face and how one can assist them.

Be a Hero: Report Cruelty to Animals!

If you happen to witness canine tethering, animal preventing, or another type of animal abuse, report it instantly. Your report could make the distinction between a lifetime of struggling and life-changing rescue.