Three Chester County residents have been charged with animal fighting in a relatively new blood sport known as "hog dogging," where dogs attack and subdue feral pigs in a rodeo-style setting.

State agents say Fort Lawn residents Arthur Parker Sr., 47; Arthur Parker Jr., 20; and Mary Evans Luther, 50, pitted the animals against each other and attended fighting matches. The elder Parker is accused of organizing fights across the state.

State officials said the Friday arrests, announced Monday, were the first of their kind in South Carolina. One N.C. animal rights advocate said he was unaware of any case like it in North Carolina. Similar raids took place over the weekend in Georgia, Alabama and Arizona, according to the S.C. Attorney General's Office.

S.C. Attorney General spokesman Trey Walker said the fights, also known as "hog dog rodeos," take place in an enclosed ring where spectators are encouraged to bet on how long it takes a dog to pin down a hog that has had its tusks removed.

Walker said investigators found 15 hogs and 95 dogs at the home the trio shared on Mt. Vernon Road. Several of the hogs were wounded and one had a broken leg, according to the Attorney General's office. Fort Lawn is about 50 miles south of Charlotte.

Reached by phone Monday, Luther said, "We're not guilty." She declined to comment further. Luther and the Parkers have been released from jail on $10,000 bonds until trial. They face up to five years in prison if convicted.

The Fort Lawn case is the second high-profile arrest involving animal fighting in South Carolina in the last six months.

In July, S.C. Commissioner of Agriculture Charles Sharpe was indicted on charges of taking $15,000 in payoffs to protect an illegal cockfighting ring in Aiken County. He pleaded not guilty to charges that include extortion and money laundering. He was immediately suspended by Gov. Mark Sanford.

If convicted, he could face eight to 10 years in federal prison. His trial is scheduled for Jan 24.

While cockfights and dog fights have been around for generations, hog-dog fights have been around for less than 10 years, said Ann Chynoweth, a Washington-based lawyer for the Humane Society of the United States.

Chynoweth said hog-dog fights began as a competition for trained hunting dogs, then grew into a staged entertainment event among dogs trained only to fight. Although the goal is not for the dog to kill the hog, many of the animals are severely hurt in the battles, Chynoweth said.

"It's not a fair competition," she said. "(The hogs) suffer bloody mutilation in these competitions."

Chynoweth said the fights have only recently gained attention as law enforcement officials become more aware of their presence.

While hunting hogs with dogs is legal in South Carolina, staged fights between animals are prohibited. North Carolina also bans fighting between any animals.

According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper, Louisiana recently passed a law specifically targeting hog-dog fights. The law makes it illegal to promote or attend the fights or train animals for the events.

Walker said the S.C. Attorney General's office regularly breaks up dog fighting rings, but hog-dog fights are rare because there are fewer people running such events. He said the fights are usually held in secluded, rural areas.

Walker said Attorney General Henry McMaster was disturbed when he watched a video depicting a hog-dog fight.

"When it comes to animal cruelty, I don't know that there's any limit to their barbaric creativity."

Want to Know More?

For more information on hog dog fights and to see a video of a fight, visit the Humane Society of the United States Web site at http://www.hsus.org/. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Hog dog rodeo."