Eagles Bryce Brown has dogs siezed for suspected dog fighting

[Midswat]

A pit bull and her seven puppies belonging to Philadelphia Eagles running back Bryce Brown were among the animals seized in a suspected dog fighting operation in Wisconsin, Amy Worden of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

A county judge on Friday ordered the dog Eilis returned to Brown after it was removed May 21 from a pit bull breeding kennel near Eau Claire, according to the Leader Telegram.

The owner of Northland Pits, Joseph A. Sudbrink was arrested and charged with mistreating animals,, running a breeding kennel without a license.

Author ties say a criminal investigation is continuing, the newspaper said.

A humane officer, BeKah Weitz, told the court she saw scarring on the dogs and believed the kennel operators were fighting the dogs.

The kennel's website says it is a breeder of "quality old family red nose pit bulls." It also says that no dogs are "bred, sold or used for any illegal activities."

Weitz said dogs had contracted ringworm and possibly had other skin issues. She said they also were being kept in substandard conditions, specifically in houses without bottoms in damp conditions.

Brown, who did not appear in court Friday, purchased Eilis in 2010 as a pet, according to an affidavit. He sent her to Northland Pits for to be bred in February. After a week, she was returned to Brown in Wichita, Kansas, the paper reported.

 

[boozeman]

This dummy just screwed up Mike Vick's dog fighting front.

 

[Jon88]

He learned from the best.

 

[Irving Cowboy]

Welcome to Philadelphia, Chip.

 

[Cowboysrule122]

See what happens when you hang out with a loser like Mike Vick.

 

[Irving Cowboy]

RB has dogs seized, returned
Eagles running back Bryce Brown had dogs seized in Wisconsin returned to him.
FOX Sports
UPDATED JUN 29, 2013 10:49 PM ET

A pit bull and her seven puppies were returned to Philadelphia Eagles running back Bryce Brown after they had been previously seized in a suspected dog-fighting operation in Wisconsin, according to reports.

The dogs were removed from a pit bull breeding kennel near Eau Claire on May 21, but a county judge ordered the dogs returned to Brown, who was not himself linked to the dog fighting, on Friday, according to the Leader Telegram.

Joseph A. Sudbrink, the owner of Northland Pits, was arrested and charged with mistreating animals and running a breeding kennel without a license, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Leader Telegram reported a criminal investigation is continuing, and that 19 other dogs remain in the custody of the Eau Claire County Humane Association.

The website for Northland Pits says the kennel is a "breeder of high quality American pit bull terriers," and says, "No dogs bred, sold, or used for any illegal activities."

The report said Brown, who did not appear in court Friday, purchased Eilis in 2010 as a pet, according to an affidavit. He reportedly sent her to Northland Pits to be bred in February. The Leader Telegram reported the dog was returned to Brown in Wichita, Kansas.

Nearly four years earlier, Brown's teammate, quarterback Michael Vick, was signed by the Eagles after his release from prison on federal charges stemming from a dog-fighting ring he ran. The decision to sign Vick enraged animal lovers and activists who were furious that the team would employ a player with a past that tied him to the brutal deaths of an unknown number of dogs.

According to the Inquirer, Stevens Point attorney Sheila Kessler represented Brown and his wife, Morgan at the hearing and argued her client's puppies were losing value the longer they were held by authorties.

“It’s a lot easier to sell eight-week-old puppies than it is to sell eight-month-old puppies,” said Kessler, who brought a photo of Brown hugging his wife, and his wife hugging Eilis to court, according to the report.