Police in Bristol are investigating a dogfighting ring that they say had an extensive history of selling dogfights in the area.
According to Bristol Police Chief Robert F. Brown, officers conducted a search of the home of a suspected dogfighter and seized a large quantity of dogs.
Brown says the suspected ringleader is the president of the Bristol Kennel Club, who was in town last weekend for the Breeders’ Nationals, a major event in the dogfighting world.
Brown also says there are more than 20 other suspected ringleaders who have not been identified.
He says the investigation is ongoing.
The Bristol Kennels Club was founded in 1982 by a group of dogfighters, and it has been a longtime fixture in the Bristol area.
Brown says the club is “a family business that will never be forgotten.”
He says that at least five of the suspected dogfighters live in Bristol and that the owners of some of the dogs in the ring are now in jail awaiting trial.
The Kennel Association says it has no comment on the investigation.
