SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – A man out on bond for murder charges in Garden City is now facing 27 counts relating to dog fighting and animal cruelty.
Before this recent dog-fighting arrest, records show 35-year-old Isaiah Goodman had 13 dogs seized in 2017 for similar accusations of mistreatment and abuse.
“I’ve seen murder reports that don’t have as much detail and as much emotion. It painted a picture of just horrifying conditions that no living animal, no living person, I wouldn’t have allowed my house plant to stay on property,” said Chatham County Criminal Defense Attorney, Skye Musson.
“Out of all of those dogs that were seized in 2017, only one mother and her puppies made it out of the shelter alive. I adopted her, I kept her ‘til the day she died. I loved that dog,” said Jennifer Taylor, who runs Renegade Paws Rescue.
Officers said Goodman has a history of abusing animals and running a puppy mill in addition to hosting dog fights, as listed in the report.
Below are direct quotes from the Savannah Police report:
“At the front door of the residence, two cages/kennels were observed with mounds of fecal matter inside them. Trash and various items were thrown throughout the property. At the side of the house, I observed mounds of steel cable that in my experience is often used to tether dogs or create ‘run lines’ to chain dogs to to limit their mobility. Animal control officers pointed out an approximate five-foot piece of PVC piping on top of one of the cages at the front of the home. Through this piping, a rope was run creating a loop on the opposite end. They informed me in their expert opinion this device was something they knew to be a ‘flirt toy.’ They advised the device is often used by wrapping the loop around a dog’s neck and forcing them to repeatedly jump up and down to build strength in their legs for the purposes of dog fighting. Walking to the back of the property I observed various makeshift structures built with scrap wood and numerous cages/coups. Dogs were chained to various objects appearing evenly spaced to not be able to come into contact with one another. In total 25 dogs were being kept chained to objects or kept inside disgusting and inhumane coups/cages. Observing some of the individual dogs, in particular, the majority appeared emaciated and being cared for with minimal effort. I observed 3-4 dogs that displayed visible and grotesque scarring on their bodies indicating the dogs had possibly been injured during fights. Officer Decker located a dog with visible injury to its rear being a disfigured form. Animal Control Officers advised him the dog appeared to have a severe spinal injury that through their experience is consistent with an injury obtained during illicit dog fighting.”
“To have done that once and not even to have been indicted or had any charges for that. Then to turn around and do it again with 29 more dogs. Like, we need to do better, Chatham County. Like, be outraged this is happening in your community,” said Taylor.
On September 4th, 2024 Animal Control Officers reported awful and inhumane conditions, bolded in their report, mounds of fecal matter in each cage, dogs chained to barrels, dogs hidden inside of sheds with no airflow, and dog fighting training devices.
Another direct quote from that police report reads:
“I noted there were numerous empty motor oil containers laying around the property. Animal control officers informed me that motor oil is often used in illicit dog breeding operations to rub onto dogs as it is a more cost-effective and less attention-drawing method to treat mange in dogs. Animal control also stated numerous dogs were clearly not getting proper vaccines as they appeared to be infested with ringworms and fleas. The 3–5-foot areas in which the dogs were able to actually freely move were eroded in a circular form approximately a foot deep indicating the dogs had been chained there in those inhumane conditions for a significant amount of time. The tiny area in which they were kept was littered with fecal matter appearing as if no effort was ever made to give the dogs a sanitary condition in which to live. Inside a sweltering dark shed was not just another dog but a puppy no older than 6 months trapped in a pile of rubble/law equipment. The dogs were recovered and animal control assumed custody.”
Most of the dogs show signs of serious injury and disease.
“Tiny Dancer has two luxating patella’s in her back legs, and she needs knee surgery on both of them. The cost for that is right around $4,000, and that’s with a rescue discount. That’s one dog,” said Jen Deane, a certified dog trainer and behavior analyst who has partnered up with Renegade Paws Rescue for this rescue effort.
Officers noted appalling conditions across the property with injured suffering dogs crammed anywhere with room, right in a Savannah neighborhood at 4104 Walton Street.
“We are talking about within Savannah jurisdiction, within what you would consider to be a traditional neighborhood. You’re 28 dogs on a property. You can’t tell me that somebody wasn’t selling him enough dog food to go, what in the world is going on? Wasn’t hearing those dogs. I get noise complaints for the few inside dogs I own, You’re telling me no one noticed anything,” asked Musson.
“If you see something, just say something. These dogs could have been spared this life that, you know, they lived in hell for all these years,” said Taylor.
Another direct quote about the lack of space the dogs were given, from that police report reads: “Observing a specific structure at the south end of the property I observed four puppies jammed into a small chicken coup-like space giving them no more than 3×3 to run. Next to this was another adult dog jammed into a similar space. Fecal matter littered the floor of these structures and they stunk heavily of urine. The animals were unwashed and unkempt smelling heavily of their own feces.”
During the seizure of these animals, one of the dogs was found hidden in the inside of the home, in a bathroom.
That portion of the police report reads: “Once removed it was observed the dog had visible injuries to its snout and stomach including severe bruising/redness and swelling. Animal Control Officers stated the dog’s injuries were indicative that Mr. Goodman had forced it to fight within the last 24 hours. Observing the bathroom it was kept in I saw fecal matter covering the floor and piles of the dog’s hair next to a set of electric shears/razors. The animal control officers stated the shearing of the dog’s hair was most likely in an attempt to be able to better mend the dog of its injuries allowing Mr. Goodman to force it to fight once again.”
Rescue workers said they are not surprised to hear Goodman is facing murder charges in a separate case. They just wish he wasn’t allowed out of jail after repeated arrests.
“He will go back out, and he will do the same thing, and there’ll be more and more victims, and I promise you there’s data to back it up. The people who hurt dogs are hurting people. There is a direct link. So this is not just about animals. It’s about keeping our community safe as a whole,” said Deane.
Officers were also able to quickly find the dog fighting pit at Goodman’s home.
The report reads: “Animal Control Officers located the ‘fighting pit’ at the far east end of the property utilizing a trail concealed it in the Woodline. Observing this ‘fighting pit’ it was consistent in nature with everything animal control officers had described. It consisted of seven plywood sheets arranged in a square shape laying on the ground leaving an approximate 10×10 space in the middle. The sheets were laid down concealed by the vegetation consistent with what Animal Control Officers advised occurs when attempting to hide the pit.”
“There is not enough training. There is not enough funding, and there are simply not enough resources to be able to adequately investigate these types of cases. And the legislature, the city, the County commissioners need to step in and they need to take responsibility for that,” said Attorney Musson.
Goodman bonded out on that murder charge for $10,000.
He was able to do that because he wasn’t indicted within the 90 days of his arrest as required by law.
He’s now back in jail on these 27 charges for animal cruelty, aggravated animal cruelty, and dog fighting.
The jury trial for his murder charges is set to begin in December.
Prior to his actual arrest on these charges, the report reads as follows: “At no point during his yelling fit did he raise concern about the seizure of the dogs or their condition. He refused to come to the residence stating he was at work and did not get off until six.”
Local rescue advocates are stepping up to help the dogs get a new chance at life.
The 28 dogs rescued from his property are in pretty bad shape.
Most of the dogs are being treated for tick-borne or parasitic diseases. Some of them also require surgery, a cost that quickly adds up with animal advocates helping them recover.
“We also got every single dog blood test run with North Carolina State University to test them for a condition called Babesia. They say medications for just the tick-borne illness alone range from $1,000 to $1,500,” said Deane, who has been paying for these treatments on her own. “We have to deworm them, and that costs money as well. So there’s a lot of medical issues with the dogs, and then I work with them behaviorally. A lot of them don’t like walking through doorways. So we’ve got a lot of work still to do, but we’ve got a lot of dogs that are actually ready for homes.”
The available ones need fosters or someone to adopt them!
These animal advocates could also use help with donations.
Click here to donate.
“I’m one person that’s doing this, but I’m working with non-profits as well, like Renegade Paws. You can also donate to them and specify that you want the money to go to Chatham County Fight Dogs, and we’re working together, and she’ll make sure that the money goes to those dogs as well,” said Deane.
In the meantime, Pet Suites in Charlotte has been working with some of the pups, allowing them to stay at no charge while the trainer works with them.
So far only one of the dogs from this case has been adopted.
If you’re interested in adopting, you can reach out to Jen Deane through her email: jendeane20@gmail.com.
You can also reach out to Renegade Paws Rescue directly by clicking, here.
If any businesses want to partner with these rescues caring for the pups, they asked that you reach out to them!
Deane said this is an unfortunate reality that needs to be addressed.
“It is happening every single day in the vast majority of states in the country, and not just in rural areas. They’re happening. People live in very fancy subdivisions that are doing this. We haven’t heard about this since the Michael Vick case, and that’s the problem. It was good that that came out in the public, but since then, what have you heard about dog fighting? Everybody likes to keep it quiet,” said Deane.
Attorney Musson echoes that sentiment.
“The problem is, we need stronger laws. We need stronger resources. The Prosecuting Association Council for Georgia has a specialty animal cruelty prosecutor, but that’s one for the state of Georgia. And the problem with that is that is a very large area and a very large thing. We also need the laws to be stronger. South Carolina has gone in and they have realized there are links between dog fighting and other activity. When there is a gap in the laws, that’s when we need to call on the legislature. Because the reality is, if the laws are what they are, then everybody’s hands are tied,” said Attorney Musson.
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