Georgia man sentenced to nearly 500 years for organizing dog fights and animal abuse

 A federal special prosecutor in Georgia stated that this is the longest recorded sentence related to dog fighting.

Prosecutors K.C. Pagnotta and Jessica K. Rock pose with Baby Shark.

Feb. 4, 2025, 8:40 AM GMT+6

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A Georgia man has been sentenced to 475 years in prison for organizing dog fights and abusing animals, including 107 dogs seized from his property in November 2022, authorities announced last week.

The sentence is the longest ever recorded for a dog fighting-related case, according to state animal crimes resource prosecutor Jessica K. Rock, who also serves as a special assistant U.S. attorney in Georgia.

Vincent Lemark Burrell, 57, denied involvement in dog fighting during his trial. It remains unclear whether he plans to appeal, and his attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The case began in 2022 when an Amazon delivery driver reported seeing multiple dogs restrained with heavy chains on Burrell’s property in Dallas, Georgia, about 30 miles west of Atlanta.

On November 8, 2022, law enforcement officials—including Paulding County sheriff’s deputies, local marshals, and Rock—executed a search warrant at the property.

Authorities found 107 dogs displaying signs of abuse. Some were underweight and lacked access to food, water, or shelter. Many were restrained with logging chains in close proximity to one another—an intentional tactic to incite aggression, prosecutors said.

Some of the dogs were confined in a basement filled with urine and feces, according to the sheriff’s office. Investigators also uncovered evidence linking Burrell to dog fighting, including a treadmill designed for dogs, a breeding stand, a break stick (used to pry open a dog's jaws during fights), documents associated with known dog fighters, veterinarian-only medications, a first aid kit for injured dogs, and sales contracts for dogs.

A veterinarian later examined the dogs and found some had scars from fighting and even had teeth removed, prosecutors said.

Authorities seized the dogs under a federal warrant, and they were ultimately placed in the care of Friends of the Forlorn Animal Rescue, a nonprofit organization.

One of the rescued dogs, Baby Shark, was just eight weeks old at the time. Now fully grown, she was recently photographed alongside prosecutors. Rock stated that Baby Shark had been bred for dog fighting and would have faced a cruel fate had she not been rescued.

Following a jury conviction on 93 counts of dog fighting and 10 counts of animal cruelty, Superior Court Judge Dean C. Bucci sentenced Burrell to the maximum penalty allowed by law—475 years in prison.