wistv.com - Columbia, South Carolina |Dogs seized in fighting bust still need homes

Dogs seized in fighting bust still need homes

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By Jason Old - email

RICHLAND COUNTY, SC (WIS) - Three months after being taken from a horrific situation in rural Richland County, several dogs used for fighting have received complete medical treatment, but still need caring homes, according to the sheriff.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said most of the 24 dogs seized in September from an organized dog fighting operation have been fostered out, but 8 of them still need homes.

Deputies broke up the ring on September 8 after responding to 647 Camp Ground Road for a complaint of dogs barking in the woods. When they arrived, deputies saw several dogs chained to the ground along a path with evidence of mistreatment, Lott said.  

Stanley Taylor, 23, faces two counts of felony dog fighting, and Jolisa Cole, 20, is charged with knowingly attending a dog fight. Additionally, Santerrio Smith, 23, is charged with two counts of attempted murder.

Lott said deputies also found several people watching two pit bulls fight. Deputies were able to arrest Taylor at the scene, but Lott said Smith and Cole jumped into a vehicle and tried to run over deputies as they sped away from the location.

Deputies later arrested Smith and Cole in a ditch beside the Days Inn on Plumbers Road after receiving information on their whereabouts from a family member.

Lott stated that the investigation continues, and more arrests are forthcoming.

The dogs were awarded to the state during a hearing in magistrate's court and given a preliminary evaluation by a veterinarian. Lott said what happened to the dogs can only be described as sad. "They breed a dog, train a dog, try to have baddest, meanest dog," he said. "That's what it's all about. 'My dog can kill your dog.' That's what it boils down to, 'my dog can kill your dog and I'm gonna bet money that it can happen.'"

One is named Beethoven. Lott said his ear was bitten off in a fight. He believes others had their ears chopped off with scissors. "Just the torture they go through," said Lott. "They use shock treatments, they hang them from trees, all kinds of things. It makes them mean. The dogs aren't born being mean. They train them to be mean."

Deputies found a collar attached to a chain weighing about 30 pounds. Deputies think the reason they were attached to these chains was so their neck would get strong and they would become better fighters.

Lott said anyone interested in assisting with fostering one or more of the remaining dogs should contact Pawmetto Lifeline at 803-622-4748. Anyone interested in making a donation should make checks payable to: The Richland County Sheriff's Foundation, 5623 Two Notch Road, Columbia, SC 29202.

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