A major federal sting operation led to the arrest of the alleged ringleader of a prolific dog-fighting operation, shedding light on the “brutal” and illegal bloodsport which subjects animals to horrific injuries, pain and suffering for profit.
Bruce Low Jr., 45, who law enforcement suspects is the “leader” of “one of the top five dog fighting breeders in the US”, was last week arrested after investigators executed search warrants on three New Jersey properties, related to a dogfighting network believed to be operating on an international scale.
He was later charged with second-degree racketeering, second-degree conspiracy, second-degree money laundering, cruelty to animals, dogfighting for gambling on the outcome, falsifying records and six other charges. Seven of his alleged co-conspirators were also arrested and charged.
Meredith Lee
More than 120 dogs — including one with a missing leg and many with open wounds, heavy scarring and swelling — were found on one of the Cumberland County properties linked to Low, authorities announced Friday.
Most of them were suffering from untreated injuries, shivering and exhibiting signs of abuse and neglect, authorities said.
“What other hell these dogs endured, I honestly don’t even dare to imagine,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said, adding the dogs had been “tortured and abused.”
According to court documents obtained by The Post, investigators also located two dead dogs in a fighting pit and noted blood on walls.
“Generally with an operation of that size there’s no doubt in my mind these guys are selling nationally and even internationally,” Humane Society of the US Vice President Adam Parascandola told The Post.
Dog fighting is illegal in all 50 states, but runs rampant in “cruel and callous” underground gambling operations propped up by breeders, trainers and spectators, and rooted in animal cruelty.
It is particularly popular in the southwest and northeast, said Parascandola, who accompanied police to assist with the rescue of the surviving dogs at the New Jersey compound.
“There were pregnant [females], nursing dogs, some severely underweight, a lot of dogs with fairly extensive scarring, some had open wounds and swelling,” he said of the rescue operation.
“Some were limping with a number of injuries including fractures and broken bones that hadn’t been treated.”
According to Parascandola, the US is also one of the main worldwide distributors of “fighting dogs” to countries including Poland, Bulgaria, South Africa, Mexico and beyond.
Meredith Lee
“Many kennels around the world are buying from the US,” he told The Post.
“Generally, the public doesn’t have an understanding of the amount of organization involved in these dog fighting networks and the organized criminal nature of them.
“It’s not only within the country but between international dog fighters who are talking to each other in different ways.”
Cops say Low, known as “Hollywood”, ran the dog fighting operation under the business name Royal Bull Kennels and that he and some of his alleged co-conspirators posted about related sales and traded videos of fights on Facebook and in private messaging groups.
They used code names such as “game dogs” and “concerts” — terms in the industry to describe fighting dogs and organized dog fights in an attempt to go undetected by authorities, court papers claim.
Low and his attorney, former Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner, did not return calls from The Post on Thursday.
On its website, RBK goes to great lengths to insist its operations is above board.
“We do not break any laws!” reads a disclaimer.
“All of our dogs are used in legal activities including but not limited to conformation, weight pull, obedience, treadmill racing, and other non-illegal activities.
“We do not own any dog that was knowingly used in any illegal activities before or after they were in our possession. We do not condone the use of any dogs in any illegal activities whatsoever.”
But charging documents suggest there are multiple holes in that claim. According to police, Low unwittingly gave himself up when he corresponded with a potential customer who turned out to be an undercover detective feigning interest in buying a dog.
Low told the agent he held 61 “concerts” – authorities claim – last year alone, describing one such event in detail.
Authorities also charged Low’s mother and business partner Terri A. Low , 67; his son, Bryce J. Low , 20; and his son-in-law, Roosevelt Hart IV, 29, on a range of offenses including dogfighting, racketeering and money laundering.
Col. Patrick Callahan, the head of the State Police said a tip-off and subsequent undercover investigation culminated in “the largest seizure and takedown of a dogfighting ring in the history of the state of New Jersey”.
“The pedigree of his fighting dogs is well-known and highly sought after in the dogfighting world,” Dominick Quartuccio, a State Police detective, wrote in a sworn statement, adding that “Low, Jr. generated a significant amount of income from the dogfighting.”
The blood sport can be highly lucrative for owners and for spectators who may wager large amounts of cash on a match and clean up from the “main purse”. According to Parascandola, the breeders also make a lot of money via “side bets” and the sale of dogs bred to fight.
“The bigger breeders and sellers who are well known and popular are definitely making in the hundreds of thousands of dollars every year,” Parascandola told The Post.
During the investigation, surveillance observed Coy Dickerson, a “world-renowned game dog trainer,” tethering dogs to a vehicle and running them on trails on the compound to condition them for fights on multiple occasions, a police affidavit claims.
“Coy had dogs chained in the yard, living in barrels and dogs in kennels around his trailer on the compound,” Platkin said at the news conference Friday.
“We know that on multiple instances dogs were strapped to an ATV and forced to run at speeds as high as 14 miles an hour, often for long periods of time.
“In at least one instance, even exceeding an hour.”
According to Parascandola, dogs born at the compounds live their lives chained up from the age of eight weeks old, only being let out for conditioning or fighting.
“Even the winning dogs often come away with gaping wounds or broken bones, only to be put back on a heavy chain without treatment even if only for breeding purposes,” he told The Post.
“Most of these dogs are bred specifically like this, they start their life with the expectation of the owner that they’re going to be used in fights, so from time they’re eight-12 weeks old they’re put on a heavy chain and spend most of their life on that chain.”
It’s an “awful” life every way around for any dog unlucky enough to end up in it.
The dogs are typically only let loose for breeding, conditioning, or fighting purposes, Parascandola explained.
“Even without the injuries from dog fighting, it’s non stop suffering with dogs often given just a barrel for shelter, and mostly ignored,” he said.
The fights are “intensive” and often end in the dogs sustaining “crippling injuries”. The average fights last 30-90 minutes but some go on much longer.
Meredith Lee
“Dogs that do well but survive with horrific injuries are just put back on the chain even if just for breeding purposes,” he added.
Parascandola said he has personally seen videos of people involved in the US industry “cheering” as a dog with two broken front legs tries to move and continue a fight in the pit.
He said the dogs rescued from the New Jersey compound have since been treated and placed in shelters and rescue centers for adoption.
Despite the horrific treatment they have endured from their handlers, most of the animals bred for fighting are not “human aggressive”, and the majority of rescues are determined to be fit for placements.
“They all greeted us with wagging tails and really just want love and attention,” he said.
