Where are the dogs?

Forty of the 81 dogs found malnourished and suspected of being involved in dogfighting were taken from property in Dudley Shoals sometime between April 3 and April 7, but officers with Caldwell County Animal Care and Control have some information about where the dogs may be.

Animal Control Director Chad Barr and Officer Jason Hamby both said Thursday that officers have received information about the dogs, indicating they know where some are located and that others are being moved by those people who took them.

“We know where some of the animals are,” Barr said. “We're just waiting for the DA (District Attorney's Office) to let us know what our next step is.”

Eighty-one pit bulls were found on property off Oran Yount Lane in Dudley Shoals April 2 by officers with the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office when they conducted a drug raid at the residence of Rockey and Jennifer Sigmon.

Four of the dogs were deemed to be in need of immediate medical treatment and were taken to Lake Hickory Veterinary Hospital to receive that attention, leaving 77 on the property.

Animal Control officers were not able to take the other dogs at that time because they had no evidence to link the owners to a crime other than possible cruelty. During the course of the investigation, other evidence “indicative of illegal dogfighting activity” surfaced, and officers were instructed to seize the dogs by the DA's Office, Barr and Hamby indicated.

“When we responded to the property the first time, nobody was aware of the number of animals on the property; it was a surprise to everyone,” Barr said. “At the time, we had evidence of animal cruelty, and we launched our investigation. It looked like neglected animals. We had suspicion of fighting, but we couldn't prove it at the time, so the animals weren't considered evidence then.”

While there was neglect to the animals, Barr said all of the scarring on many of them may or may not be attributed to dogfighting, and that was part of the reason local veterinarian Dr. Denise Glander and the Humane Society of the United States were called in for assistance.

“Some of the animals had scarring, but that's not necessarily proof of dogfighting,” Barr said. “Animal fighting is complex. We couldn't just jump to conclusions. We had to hold off until the DA was able to review the evidence we had. The findings of the HSUS enabled us to form a possible link.”

Barr said further evidence - dogfighting paraphernalia and possible breeding lists - that could serve as a link with dogfighting was found when officers executed a search and seizure warrant at the property earlier this week with the aid of the Humane Society of the United States, but 40 of the dogs had been removed from the location by then.

“We're trying to conduct a thorough investigation, but we couldn't remove a person's property without proof of a crime,” Barr said. “This has taken time because we want to do things right, and we don't want to do anything that will jeopardize this case.”

The animals taken off the property by Animal Control earlier this week have been relocated to secure but undisclosed sites and are being taken care of, Hamby said.

Barr also said that Animal Control officers have spoken with Rockey Sigmon and given him the option of surrendering all the pit bulls to the custody of Animal Control, releasing him from any further responsibility where the animals are concerned.

It's also possible that all the animals don't belong to Sigmon. Barr indicated that Sigmon told investigators that some belong to other people and were just under his care.

“We're looking at all options to handle these animals,” Barr said. “We have to determine if they are a potential health threat to the community.”

He went on to say that a number of people have expressed interested in possibly adopting the dogs, and an organization in Utah that specializes in rehabilitation of animals has contacted Animal Control about helping with them. Barr said the organization also worked with the dogs involved in the widely publicized dogfighting case of NFL quarterback Michael Vick.

“Euthanasia will be the last alternative,” Hamby said.

Hamby added that the investigation has been a lengthy one but that comes out of necessity.

“It has been very time-consuming, but we want people to know we're doing all we can and coming up with more and more evidence,” Hamby said. “It's a slow process when you are trying to build a strong case.”

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