‘Not Fit for Humans, Much Less Dogs’: Man Gets 475 Years After 100 Malnourished Pit Bulls Found Tied Up in His Backyard

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:Paulding District Attorney’s Office/Facebook

Paulding District Attorney’s Office/Facebook

A Georgia man was sentenced to 475 years in prison for dog fighting and cruelty to animals after more than 100 pit bulls were found tied up in his backyard.

Vincent Lemark Burrell, 57, was found guilty of 103 counts, including 93 counts of dog fighting and 10 counts of cruelty to animals, following a four-day trial, the Paulding District Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday, Jan. 30.

“The dogs were chained close to each other but just out of reach, a tactic that serves to build dog aggression," the DA’s office wrote in a press release.

When police arrived on Nov. 8, 2022, they found 107 dogs with heavy logging chains and thick collars tied to trees and mental stakes in the ground. The dogs had no access to food or water and were underweight or very underweight, authorities said.

Paulding County Sheriff

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“Some of the dogs were housed in the basement of the home where the presence (along with the odor) of urine and feces was so strong, authorities had to wear protective equipment just to be able safely enter the home,” according to a press release from the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office. “Conditions where dogs were being housed, both inside and on the exterior of this property, were not fit for humans, much less dogs."

dog collars found at Burrell’s home.Paulding County Sheriff

Anyone with information about dog fighting in Paulding call 911 or, leave an anonymous tip at 770-443-3047 or via the Paulding Sheriff’s Office app.

source: people.com