ohmidog!

A raid on a Robeson County, N.C., dog fighting ring Saturday night resulted in the arrests of 27 people.

Authorities seized 18 dogs, thousands of dollars and several guns, according a news release from the N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement agency (ALE).

Those arrested were from the Carolinas, Ohio and Maryland, and charges included dog fighting, animal cruelty, animal neglect, weapons violations and possessing controlled susbstances, the Fayetteville Observer reported.

“Dog fighting is unquestionably a cruel and vicious event,” ALE Director John Ledford said in a release. “An event can last as long as several grueling hours while the dogs bite and maul each other to death,” he said. “With the help of state and federal partners, this inhumane bloodshed was stopped.”

The arrests were made at the home of Jimmy Jacobs, where almost everyone in the crowd tried to run away when authorities arrived. The state’s Air National Guard provided a helicopter to help track them down, the release said.

Some of the dogs that were seized had serious wounds as well as scars from previous injuries. Veterinarians from North Carolina and the Atlanta Humane Society provided medical care for wounded dogs.

ALE agents were assisted by state Wildlife Resources Commission and Department of Correction officers, Highway Patrol troopers, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and representatives from Norred & Associates, an Atlanta security company whose owner donates services to help break up dog fighting rings.

It was a tip to the company’s dog fighting hotline that led to the investigation.

(Photo: Atlanta Humane Society)

What’s believed to have been one of the top five dog fighting operations in the country was raided Tuesday morning, and 33 pit bulls were seized.

The Duplin County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina discovered equipment used to train dogs for fighting and a dog fighting ring during the raid at a home in Mount Olive, WECT in Wilmington reported.

Authorities arrested the home’s owner, Harry Hargrove, 76.

“This gentleman has been known as one of the top five dog-fighting operations in the United States,” according to Anna Ware, with Atlanta-based security firm Norred & Associates who assisted in the raid.

“We have evidence to support that its probably been a 40-year operation,” said Miguel Abi-Hassan, of the Atlanta Humane Society, which deployed an animal rescue team and a trailer to help evaluate and treat the dogs before transporting them to an undisclosed location.

The dogs found at the home were trained to fight and some are worth as much as $10,000 in the underground ring, investigators said.

Two veterinarians checked and treated each animal seized. Most of the dogs had scarring consistent with dog fighting, Abi-Hassan said.

Confidential leads from a tip line sponsored by Norred led to the raid.