Several canines were found in cages in a garage in Jamaica, Queens, in a suspected dog-fighting arena, officials said. The notice plastered on the door read: “Premises is perilous to life.”
What it didn’t say was that those in danger stood on four legs.
Weighted collars, chains, blood-soaked walls and 20 brutalized, emaciated pit bulls greeted cops as they raided a Queens home suspected of being a dog-fighting arena and training ground, authorities said Friday.
Now dog owners Addison Holder, 44, and Keisha Hall, 33 — a brother-and-sister team described by stunned neighbors as “quiet, hard-working people” — are facing animal cruelty, animal fighting and drug possession charges.
“You heard the dogs, but you never saw them,” said one stunned neighbor, who did not want to be named. “Twenty dogs ... I had no idea.”
Police were investigating a dog-fighting ring in Jamaica when they executed a search warrant at a 196th St. home near 118th Ave.
In the garage, they found a house of horrors for dogs.
Cops found five dogs 'with large, weighted collars around their necks with large chains attached to their collars,' according to court papers, and the others were in cages. Investigators found five canines “with large, weighted collars around their necks with large chains attached to their collars,” according to court papers.
There was no food or water near the animals, officials said. What was nearby was a square pit used to train canine killers.
A concrete cover that prevented all light from shining through was pockmarked with tufts of animal fur, court documents revealed. There was also a large battery connected to electrical wires and pieces of wood covered in blood, according to officials.
“These items are traditionally used in training of dogs for dog fighting,” according to the criminal complaint.
The remaining dogs were found in cages in the garage, officials said.
At least one had deep scratch marks raked across its face.
In the house, cops found a gore-smeared treadmill in the basement that was also used to train the dogs.
They also found Holder and Hall, who were taken into custody.
Ecstasy and methamphetamines were found in the home, which was slapped with a partial vacate order on Thursday for the property’s cellar, garage and rear yard.
Holder and Hall were ordered held on $100,000 bail.
The battered dogs were being cared for Friday by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
“Organized dog fighting is a brutal form of animal abuse where dogs are exploited and forced to fight as their owners profit from their torture,” said Matthew Bershadker, president and CEO of the ASPCA. “Through our partnership, the ASPCA and the NYPD are determined to protect New York City’s animals from this form of cruelty and bring their abusers to justice.”
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