The OSPCA says their dog-fighting investigation in Tilbury is officially the largest one of its kind in Ontario.
The Chatham-Kent police recently honoured more than ten OSPCA investigators involved in the October 2015 probe. They also revealed the case started out as a barking dog complaint on Morris Line. The two-day investigation saw the seizure of 31 dogs and hundreds of "dog-fighting tools," including tread mills and break sticks.
"The number of officers is based on what we suspect in terms of number of animals, to the amount of evidence that may be found on the property," says OSPCA Inspector Brad DeWar. "With this investigation, things went very smoothly because of the working relationship with the Chatham-Kent Police Service and the Ontario SPCA."
Not only is the Tilbury case the largest the OSPCA has ever been involved with, it's also one of a recent string of similar investigations the agency has seen in the last year.
"Up until 2015 our last dog-fighting investigation was 2006," adds DeWar. "There's been some times where we've heard some reports but there's nothing substantial to move on. But in the last year there's been three [investigations]."
A total of 297 charges have been laid, and the case is still before the courts.
