PSPCA: South Philly man owned fighting dogs
Carlton Lane, 39, of South Philadelphia, is accused of owning dogs used in fights, as well as housing them in unsanitary conditions in his home on the 2200 block of Mifflin Street.
A South Philadelphia man has been charged with animal cruelty for allegedly owning dogs used in fights.
Carlton Lane, 39, allegedly kept the dogs in unsanitary and unsafe conditions inside his home on the 2200 block of Mifflin Street.
Lane surrendered his 13 pit bulls – eight of them puppies – to the Pennsylvania SPCA on Wednesday, a day after he was arraigned.
PSPCA officers were initially called to his home Oct. 28, after neighbors reported what they believed to be a dog fight in progress, the organization said.
Inside, they found the 13 dogs, which had scars consistent with fighting injuries, according to investigators.
Officers also uncovered dogfighting paraphernalia, including treadmills and spring poles, the PSPCA said.
Lane was not home at the time of the search, but a subsequent investigation led to his arrest, according to authorities.
The PSPCA will make all 13 dogs available for adoption through its Philadelphia adoption center, as well as through satellite adoption centers within Pets Plus Natural stores.
Lane, whose bail was set at $5,000, is next due in court Dec. 23 for a preliminary hearing.
"We take this crime very seriously and are hopeful that the court will impose an equally serious penalty in this case," PSPCA CEO Jerry Buckley said in a statement.