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Kennel where pit bulls seized called a major breeding center
127 dogs taken from Wilkes site
Journal Graphic by Nicholas Weir
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Published: December 12, 2008
MILLERS CREEK - Authorities have seized 127 pit bulls in Wilkes County at what the Humane Society of the United States says is one of the nation's largest breeding operations for fighting dogs.
Investigators spent more than 14 hours in a raid Wednesday at Wildside Kennels at 5636 Mertie Road in the mountains of northwest Wilkes County.
The raid capped a three-year investigation by the Humane Society of the United States, in cooperation with Wilkes County authorities.
Arrested were the owner of Wildside Kennels, Edward Anthony Faron, 61; his son Donni Juan Casanova, 18; and Amanda Grace Lunsford, 25.
They were each charged with one felony count of dog fighting and baiting. Each posted a $2,500 bond and was released. Other charges are pending, authorities said.
The kennel did not appear to be a place where people came to see dog fights but rather was a breeding operation where some of the animals bore scars consistent with dog fighting, said Chris Shew, the chief deputy for the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office.
The dogs -- 62 adults and 65 puppies -- are being housed in undisclosed locations. The dogs will be held as evidence pending a court order or a trial.
Veterinarians examined each of the adult dogs at the scene. Some of the dogs were in wire kennel enclosures, and many of the dogs were staked out at individual dog houses, Shew said.
The dogs appeared to have been fed and cared for, authorities said. There were no incidents during the raid.
A forensic veterinarian who is part of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' CSI Unit was at the raid to evaluate the seized dogs for evidence of animal fighting.
Faron is well-known in the dog-fighting world, said John Goodwin, the manager of animal-fighting issues for the Humane Society of the United States.
The Wildside Kennels' Web site includes a disclaimer that reads: "No dogs bred, raised or sold for illegal purposes."
Such a disclaimer is common among people who sell fighting dogs, Goodwin said.
"This is a man who is nationally known," he said. "We recognize him as one of the top 10 breeders of fighting dogs in the United States."
Faron was convicted of dog fighting in Alamance County in 1989, Goodwin said. The crime was a misdemeanor then.
Investigators seized thousands of items during the raid, Shew said, mostly paperwork that includes records of sales. He declined to discuss what other evidence was seized.
Goodwin said that Faron sold dogs throughout the United States and possibly overseas.
Attempts to reach Wildside Kennels yesterday were unsuccessful.
The kennel's Web site featured sales listings for dogs with such names as Black Beauty, Buckfifty, Tugboat Annie, Dracula, Little Nicky, Vader and Wicked. The online ads featured pedigrees of the dogs, but no prices.
In general, a pit-bull puppy from a kennel might sell for $500 to $750, Goodwin said. An adult dog that is considered a good fighting prospect might go for more than $1,000, while a champion fighting dog might bring more than $10,000.
Casanova was featured in several videos that could be viewed yesterday on Faron's MySpace page. In one of the videos, Casanova showed puppies that were in a fenced kennel.
"We have these two good-looking little puppies," he said. "As you see they're nice and fat and healthy." He went on to show other puppies and talk about their lineage.
Faron is also well known as a co-author of The Complete Gamedog -- A Guide to Breeding and Raising the American Pit Bull Terrier, a book that includes graphic accounts of gruesome injuries inflicted on fighting dogs. The book contains a disclaimer that says that the accounts are fictional.
The kennel is in an isolated part of Wilkes County, roughly between N.C. 16 and N.C. 18. Property records show that Faron owns about 24 acres there.
Shew said he asked Faron why he had moved there and said that Faron talked about how beautiful the area is.
The isolation also offered a place where barking dogs wouldn't bother neighbors, authorities say.
Goodwin said that a raid on an urban dog fighting breeder might net 12 or so dogs, while a raid in a rural area might typically get more than 24 dogs.
He described a seizure of 127 dogs as "gigantic."
It's the largest dog seizure ever in Wilkes County, County Attorney Tony Triplett said.
Wilkes County authorities cooperated with the Humane Society of the United States' three-year investigation. County authorities were particularly active in the investigation over the last few months and also spent time finding places to keep the dogs so the county animal shelter wouldn't be overwhelmed, Shew and Triplett said.
Goodwin said he was impressed with local authorities.
"If I was a dog fighter I'd stay out of Wilkes County," he said.
■ Monte Mitchell can be reached in Wilkesboro at 336-667-5691 or at mmitchell@wsjournal.com.
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