Man Accused Of Owning, Fighting Over 100 Dogs Charged In Paulding

DALLAS, GA — A Paulding County man was arrested on Nov. 8 after authorities accused him of owning 106 dogs and operating a dog fighting ring, authorities said late Friday afternoon.

According to the Paulding County Sheriff's Office, the canines were found in the man's home, located in the 1000 block of Old Cartersville Road. A vast majority of the dogs were pit bulls, authorities said.

"Conditions where dogs were being housed, both inside and on the exterior of this property, were not fit for humans, much less dogs," authorities said in a news release.

According to the sheriff's office, dogs were found tied to trees and metal stobs in the ground. Some were in the basement in the presence of urine and feces, authorities said.

They were not properly fed or hydrated and tied to various things using large and heavy logging chains and thick collars, authorities said.

"Many of these dogs were basically left in the elements with little to no shelter for days on end. Furthermore, these dogs were not being seen on a regular basis or vacinated by a veterinarian," authorities said.

According to the sheriff's office, deputies retrieving the dogs from the basement had to wear protective equipment due to the strong presence of the urine and feces order.

Authorities described some of the dogs as emaciated while others were said to be strong and aggressive toward other dogs.

"The sad part is that the vast majority of these animals just craved the love and attention of the deputies and detectives that were on the scene," authorities said.

Vincent Lemark Burrell, 55, is being charged on suspicion of cruelty to animals and dog fighting, authorities said. He is being held in the Paulding County Jail without bond, authorities said, noting at least 100 additional counts are forthcoming.

“In cases like these, we have to conduct a lengthy and thorough investigation. This is not something that we can just put together in a few days," Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge said in a news release.

"Cases like these are comphensive and require us to work with many local, state and federal entities. I am proud of the teamwork that has been exhibited in this case and I am thankful that these dogs are safe now. The dark and sinister world of dog fighting is a despiciable culture that has no place in our world.”

The dogs were all taken to rescue facilities, authorities said.

The following groups and people assisted with the rescue of the canines, according to authorities: Friends of the Forlorn Pitbull Rescue, East Paulding Animal Hospital, New Hope Animal Hospital, Mostly Mutts Animal Rescue, Hiram Animal Hospital, Cedarcrest Animal Hospital, Frank Ortize of Cedarcrest, Jessica Rock of the Prosecuting Attorney's Council of Georgia and Steve Hammond, who is the director of Cobb County Animal Control.