9 dogs rescued from Cherokee County home after man arrested for dog fighting

CANTON, Ga. — A Canton man is facing felony charges related to dog fighting and cruelty to animals.

Randall Thaxton, 58, was arrested by Cherokee County Marshals earlier this week. He is facing nine animal abuse charges after nine dogs were removed from his property.

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“I hope the dogs are ok,” an unidentified neighbor told Channel 2′s Elizabeth Rawlins.

Investigators will not let anyone see the dogs because of the ongoing investigation.

Rawlins went out to the property Friday afternoon on Union Hill Road. It appeared someone was home because there were cars in the driveway and smoke coming from the chimney.

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Rawlins knocked on the door several times but no one came to the door.

Neighbors tell Channel 2 Action News they never suspected anything like this.

It’s unclear what type of dogs were rescued and what their current condition is, but there were signs on the property showing that there may have been pitbulls living there at one point.

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