State police seized seven dogs from a home at 968 Grassy Hill Rd. in Orange on Oct. 5 as part of a multi-state investigation into illegal dogfighting rings, according to a news release.
The Connecticut State Police Statewide Organized Crime Investigative Task Force, State Animal Control, Milford Animal Control and Orange PD Patrol executed a search warrant at the house after based on leads from the dog fighting investigation with the Suffolk County, New York Police Department, police said.
The dogs were found in outdoor kennel structures and “subject to unsanitary conditions and tethered within their cages in an unlawful manner,” the release said. Criminal charges for animal cruelty are anticipated.
The property where the dogs were seized is owned by Nathanial Martinez and Eva Carolin Kennedy, according to public land records. The dogs are in the custody of the state Department of Agriculture and will be housed at Milford Animal Control, police said.