Italian police have seized 24 pit bulls and placed 12 people under investigation in a suspected dogfighting network that investigators say reached from northern Italy to Serbia. The searches took place on 15 October and were made public on 19 October. Nobody has been convicted, and the investigation is ongoing.

What happened

The operation was led by the Carabinieri's NIPAAF unit in Parma, the specialist branch that handles environmental, agri-food and forestry crime, according to InfoOggi. Units from Venice, Bergamo, Pavia, Pisa, Grosseto and Rieti joined in, along with the Carabinieri's CITES wildlife-trade teams. The Parma Public Prosecutor's Office issued the search and seizure orders after an investigation that started in 2025 and ran for about a year.

The 24 dogs were seized at locations in several provinces. Reports name Parma, Venice, Pisa and Rieti, and InfoOggi adds Bergamo. Investigators say a fighting arena in Tizzano Val Parma, in the hills south of Parma, had already been identified and seized in 2025.

According to the reports, police also seized:

  • treadmills and heavy chains
  • collars with pockets for adding weights
  • steroid drugs along with schedules for giving them
  • a fighting ring with wooden boards and a synthetic mat

What investigators allege

Prosecutors allege the dogs were raised from puppyhood to fight. According to InfoOggi, investigators believe the group bred and trained dogs in Serbia and brought puppies into Italy using falsified foreign passports, with help from trainers, traffickers and vets who were allegedly complicit. Kodami (Fanpage.it) reports that the seized dogs had foreign documents and says some of the suspects were identified in Serbia.

Investigators also allege the group posted fight videos and photos on websites, social media and messaging apps to push up the dogs' market value.

The 12 suspects haven't been named. They're under investigation for animal cruelty (Article 544-ter of the Italian criminal code) and for organizing unauthorized animal fights (Article 544-quinquies). Under Italian law, those offenses carry prison terms of up to two and four years respectively, plus fines. These are allegations, and every suspect is presumed innocent unless a court decides otherwise.

Where the dogs are now

Kodami reports that the Cave Canem foundation, an Italian group that specializes in rehabilitating dogs from fighting and abuse cases, is caring for the dogs together with a dog trainer. Local public health vets and Italy's veterinary research institute (Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale) helped identify the animals.

Cave Canem's president, Federica Faiella, told Kodami that cooperation between prosecutors, police and animal welfare groups is what makes cases like this possible.

Why it matters for animals

In this case, investigators allege the dogs' whole lives were shaped around fighting: raised for it from puppyhood, conditioned with weights and treadmills, given steroids on a schedule, and moved across a border with false papers. Kodami cites a 2023 report by the Italian animal protection group LAV that estimated fights involving animals bring in about €75 million a year in Italy.

The case also shows how a dog's paperwork can be faked. If the allegations are proven, puppies crossed into the EU with passports that didn't tell the truth about them.

What you can do

  • If you suspect dogfighting, call the police (112 in Italy and across the EU; 113 for police in Slovenia). Don't confront anyone yourself.
  • Be wary of puppies sold with foreign paperwork that doesn't match the dog, or by sellers who won't let you see the mother.
  • Kodami reports that people interested in adopting one of the rehabilitated dogs can write to the Cave Canem foundation at info@fondazionecavecanem.org.

Sources