Joy As 29 Dogs Rescued From Dog Fighting Ring Get Second Chance at Life

A group of 29 dogs rescued from a South Carolina dog fighting ring are getting a second chance at a life far removed from the suffering they once knew.

Though it might seem hard to believe, dog fighting still exists in the U.S. today, with one study published in the journal Animals in 2022 estimating that as many as 16,000 canines are being raised each year to take part in organized fights.

The same study estimates that as many as 44 of them die every day during one of these illegal fights. It's difficult to imagine what Tank the dog must have seen and experienced in his life to date. The 12-year-old pooch is among a group of 29 dogs rescued from a life of dogfighting in Horry County, South Carolina, last summer.

Justin Wyatt, a local police captain responsible for the Horry County Animal Care Center in Conway, South Carolina, was the one who handled the case. "Any municipal or county government has much to consider in dogfighting cases," he said. "My first thought was 'let's get somebody in here who can help us make the best decision.'"

That somebody was Jen Deane, a dog behavior expert already helping out at the Horry County shelter who had experience working with dogs exposed to trauma. She had been helping some of the dogs at the shelter through a grant from Best Friends Animal Society, a nonprofit animal welfare organization focused on trying to make all shelters in the U.S. no-kill by 2025.

Wyatt said: "With so much misinformation out there about fighting dogs and attorneys worried about liability, the clock was ticking from the moment we got the dogs. Without the intervention of Best Friends and Jen, they would have been euthanized."

It was decided that 17 of the dogs went to Renegade Paws Rescue in Savannah, Georgia, while 12 headed to Beyond the Fight Initiative in Palm Bay, Florida. Best Friends, meanwhile, contributed $16,000 toward the general care, including boarding costs, at both locations.

Renegade Paws Rescue

With distinctive new names such as Venus Moon, Nutmeg, and Rainbow Bright, the dogs in Savannah are already getting a new start in life. Jennifer Taylor and her staff at Renegade Paws Rescue have helped many dogs rescued from fighting rings and were only too happy to oblige this time around. "They just love people," Taylor said of her 17 new residents. "Jen comes in every other week to work with them, and when she's here, she works with the dogs up to ten times each day. And when she's not here, we speak with her often on the phone and online."

Renegade's new Underdog Uprising program is designed for dogs from court cases and other difficult situations to give them a leg up on new lives. "Every two weeks, our volunteers come in for a training class that covers all the topics our advocates need to work with these dogs," Taylor said. "We cover such topics as how to work with high-energy dogs, handling dogs with mouthy behavior or dogs who like to jump on you—things like that."

Advocates also come in two or three times a week to spend time with "their dog." The frequent interaction helps the dogs build trust, learn to be comfortable walking on a leash, and learn other skills that will give them a better chance at being adopted.

Beyond the Fight Initiative

Ashley Dames calls her Beyond the Fight Initiative a halfway house for dogs from court cases and other difficult situations. Beyond the Fight has taken in the other 12 Horry County dogs and is providing them with training and enrichment.

Dames's work with dogs like those from the Horry County case all started when she first volunteered at a pet food pantry years ago and met Diamond, a dog also rescued from dogfighting. Diamond was suspected to have suffered terrible abuse as a bait dog. "I didn't know anything about dogfighting at all," Dames said. "But she was just a wonderful dog. She had some anxiety issues and other behavioral problems. But I jumped in with both feet and learned everything I could. I had her for seven years, and she inspired me to help more like her."

Dames said the happy dozen in her care from Horry County—Mama, Doug, Crawl, Frick, Amelia, Minnie, Bateman, Gigi, Milo, Willow, Squints, and Mini Grinch—are all "absolute love bugs."

"Willow will climb right into your lap," she said. "Doug is a fun-loving, goofy dog who loves life. He also loves all people, races around the yard to do zoomies, and is super curious and likes to be involved in everything. Mama is a happy girl who really thinks she's a lap dog and likes to sneak in kisses. Crawl is a shy girl who opens up after a few gentle pets. She gets her name because when we first got her, she crawled everywhere and most of the time needed to be carried from place to place."

Definition of an Underdog

Tank, meanwhile, has struck up a bond with a new full-time advocate in fellow senior Cindy Weimer, who's been volunteering at Renegade since last summer.

"Tank is the typical definition of an underdog. My thought was that he's going to be the last chosen, so I raised my hand and said I want him," she said. "At first I could tell that he wasn't totally comfortable. He kept pacing around trying to sniff things. And of course, with not being able to see (well), he's running into the wall and bumping into couches and tables. But we're getting to know each other."

Weimer hopes that Tank, like all the dogs who have just arrived "will finally feel some love from a human." For the time being, they are busy settling in, making friends and hopefully winning a few admirers along the way.

Audrey Lodato, director for the East Region at Best Friends Animal Society, told Newsweek: "We've seen the toll that past dog fighting cases have taken on the staff, so when we saw an opportunity to step up and help these dogs find a different outcome, we were eager to help. Luckily our background means that we are a well-respected resource when it comes to dogs that have been in a fighting environment and I'm confident that factored into the decision to release these dogs to rescues."