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Charges were announced Wednesday morning against a Chester County, Pa., couple accused of running a major dogfighting operation out of their home on Manor Road in West Brandywine.
Prosecutors say Shane Santiago and his wife were running the operation while their five children lived at the home. Officials say the couple raised pit bulls, trained them on treadmills and gave them steroid-type medicines to make them stronger. They then taught the dogs to kill other dogs, according to prosecutors.
Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said the couple had the stronger dogs practice on weaker dogs. Dogfighters from other states allegedly came to their home and watched the dogs fight, often to the death. While the winning dogs were taken home, the losing dogs either died in the ring or were killed by the owners, according to prosecutors.
Hogan said officials recovered jumper cables with hair on them in Santiago’s basement. Santiago allegedly used the cables to electrocute the dogs.
"The dogs lived by one rule," said Hogan. "Fight and win, or die. At least 10 dogs died by defendant Shane Santiago’s hands, and countless more were maimed in these dogfights."
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Hogan said authorities were alerted to the possibility of dogfighting in the western part of Chester County when they received reports of dead and mutilated pit bulls along roadsides over the last few months.
Officials originally targeted Santiago as part of a drug operation, which eventually led them to the dogfighting connection, according to investigators. Santiago and his wife were both charged with animal cruelty and child endangerment. They are in custody.
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People who fight animals need to be put down themselves. Michael Vick is no exception, either.
Rescue the dogs, lock up the killers, adopt the children out and never ever let them have contact with these evil parents until after the kids are 21, give the parents life in prison without pa role, animals are not to blame! Liquidate the home and belongings and transfer the money to care and if possible rehab the dogs for the rest of their lives in a kind loving facility, this is horrible.
If I was King of the world I would execute them publicly for their horror they did in secret, you can be 90 percent sure they abused the children also....
I'm willing to bet, if convicted, they serve more time than Mike Vick...and rightfully so. That being said I hope they get life with no parole. Too bad there isn't a death penalty for crimes like this...scumbag trash!
The Philadelphia Eagles are going to be looking for a new quarterback. I wonder if this guy plays football?
Or, has a history of the unspeakable!
OK, these two *&*%&**^%'s need to die........slowly. I will gladly pay-per-view it
What a fine example of the typical Mid-American jerks. And they are allowed to vote! Shame on you, America, to allow these unspeakable things done to animals without eradicating garbage like this.
Evil personified. THere is not punishment harsh enough for these monsters.
What's with all the Vick comments--he paid his dues and that was YEARS ago! He's not sitting in here reading this comment section with a tear in his eye. Do you seriously think he is the only person in the history of mankind that has fought dogs, chickens, whatever or will do it in the future? Lots of money is being made off these activities. Not saying I condone this kind of behavior, but frankly I'm more interested in these kids welfare over the dogs.
Slickbacksthe1...Vick didn't pay enough dues!!! and these monsters probably won't either!
VICK has distanced himself from this horrible activity. Too bad he can't really make-a-difference. Do people REALLY change?
Sociopaths can't shed a tear and they don't change.
Someone should force this couple to fight to win or die. Then kill the winner too.
Justice will be served once this dumbass is in prison.
I don't like ALL of my tribe
I was nauseous after reading the article, it is hard for me to comprehend such dispassionate cruelty, both sociopaths or at least psychopathic, I hope the children are not infected with the same mind set as their parents, only time will tell. Major jail time for those two, once convicted and incarcerated, release the "in for" to the general population and let the other inmates take care of these two. No segregation, let Bubba and Bubbette exact the proper Karma, hopefully the Santiago's will never have the opportunity to breath the air of freedom.
Please, Let me know where they live.................
Please, please, please put them all through the same hell they put those dogs through. Hateful human beings. ugh... Make an example of them and give them the maximum punishment. This practice has got to stop. ugh... This angers me to no end. How dare they do this to innocent animals. I wish they would have turned on them and eaten them up.
Heaven help us.
There is a quote from St. Francis that says it all:
"If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men."
Maybe this should be our epitaph.
I don't know who's worse, the couple or the people posting "kill'em or life in prison", but I'm betting the latter. It only takes an idiotic event to bring out the idiocy in people who otherwise THINK they are better.
People can be vile, period! ALL of us (physically capable) can go from COOL, CALM, COLLECTED, to outright MASS-MURDERING total strangers or family. Listen to yourselves commenting. That's telling, in itself.
Tell me, what purpose do we play on this planet, since we live off the land, not the other way around? Animals ONLY kill to eat or protect their offspring. They will protect their territory too, but stop when they chase other animals out. Not for revenge or hate - worse, GREED - like us humans, who will chase each other continent to continent, if necessary, to kill.
Lastly, would ANY of you commenting "kill'em or life in prison", feel the same if this couple were your relative or friends? I don't think so. What does that say about humans? RIGHT.....HYPOCRITS!
NO, I don't hate animals or humans. I hate the fukd up attitudes of humans, when they think they are so much better than the next. YOU'RE NOT!
We are only as good as our worst day.
Raidaz2010...You're a douche!
Oh, I am better than dog fighting scum! and if it was going on in my family, I would turn them in... in a heartbeat. They would be dead to me.
Raidaz....so, you think animal fighting is ok?
Nevada Al: Name calling? You're a whiny hobbit. There....see how it works? I don't hypocrit is so bad. But Douche? Not nice, but so what.
sheplover: Did I say I think animal fighting is ok? I didn't. You suggested I think it. I don't.
I don't think "kill'em", for doing it either, as some posters said about the couple.
Find them both a nice prison where they can fight for their lives.
Thank God the dogs didn't turn on the children!
if the dogs did turn on the "offspring" it would be the parent's fault for training the dogs to fight. These kids are just young pieces of trash. It's in the DNA.
If the dog fighting perp's are white their mugs a plastered all over the front pages. If their black, which most are, you'll never see their pictures in news print.
They are so week they have to hide behind animals! HA HA. Does anyone know how to spell L-O-S-E-R-S? C'mom, you are so great? Make a living on your OWN. Sadly, this will probably NEVER happen.
If they cannot be reabilitated then execute them, it may stop the spread, we have to do something.
I suggest putting the man and woman in a ring and letting them fight to the death.
String these POS's up by their genitalia. Smear them with bacon grease. Call the dogs.
These people are serial killers in the making; nothing short of psychopaths who simply haven't quite graduated to humans. The 'high' that these people experience by abusing and ultimatley killing these animals is like a drug that you require more and more of to get the same high. A psychopath becomes addicted, and will require bigger game and more risk to duplicate the rush. They are extraordinarily dangerous people who will require psycological and drug therapies, as well as incarceration, for the rest of their lives.
Chances are, these people are also victims of similar abuse in their lives, therefore it is critical to stop the cycle. Not only by punishing these parents, but by making sure we properly treat their children for the abuse they, too, have witnessed and experienced, as well.
The violence is appalling. Sad and horrifying. Yet, every day billions of animals are slaughtered in the cruelest ways imaginable in slaughterhouses. People eat the meat the is from this violence. As long as we continue to eat the dead flesh of animals, humans will be cruel to other animals and each other. If you eat meat \ you are connected to the problem and part of it.