A Sad Update To A Story Involving A Dog Fighting Ring In Tyler Where Over 50 Dogs Were Found.

The Smith County Sheriff’s Office along with Smith County Animal Control have shared an update on the condition of some of the dogs found during a dog fighting bust north of Tyler where 2 Tyler business owners have been arrested on various charges.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING MAY CONTAIN IMAGES OF ANIMAL CRUELTY.

According to KETK, The Smith County sheriff’s office and the Smith County Animal Control were notified after someone found wounded dogs near a home on CR 4136 on September 9th.

A nonprofit called Nicolas Pet Haven also responded to the scene where they found more than 50 dogs at the property - six of which were in critical condition. Dogs were also reportedly found in cages, hot boxes and tied to treadmills. They posted a series of photos of the dogs on their Facebook page which you can click here to see.

Animal control officials said the dog fighting ring was on the property including areas where the dogs were “conditioned.”

Search warrants and seizure warrants for the property were issued, allowing officials to remove the dogs from the home and around the property.

The sheriff’s office said evidence found at the scene has led investigators to believe the location is part of a large-scale dogfighting operation that could extend out of East Texas.

Police arrested 34-year-old Kerry Jones and 31-year-old Michael Jones Of Tyler.

The arrests sent shock through the Tyler community as the Jones' are known for their BBQ shop "Blessed Hands BBQ" which sits about a mile away from the property where the dogs were seized.

Since then, the Smith County Animal Control And Shelter has been housing 55 dogs and two cats since they were seized and they flew in an animal behavioral specialist from Florida to evaluate the seized animals in the shelter.

Sadly, 11 Dogs Will Have To Be Euthanized.

While the specialist found that 27 dogs were not aggressive, some of them will need more rehabilitation and extra care before possibly being fostered, while two cats and all 17 Bully dogs have already been picked up by rescues.

11 of the dogs she evaluated were “not safe candidates for going into home environments” because they were trained to fight. Because these dogs are a liability and are unpredictable and dangerous, those 11 dogs will unfortunately have to be euthanized. Two of them have already bitten staff members and tried to go after other dogs.