Edward Anthony Faron (born November 9, 1947) is an American author and a breeder of

pit bull Pit bull is an umbrella term for several Dog type, types of dog believed to have descended from bull and terriers. In the United States, the term is usually considered to include the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, A ...

s for dog fighting. He is generally regarded in the United States as the Godfather of dog fighting. Ed Faron was born in Ohio and trained dogs after returning from serving in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

in 1970. He started breeding

dogs in 1987. In 1995 he co-authored the book ''The Complete Gamedog: A Guide to Breeding and Raising the American Pit Bull Terrier''. In 1996 Ed Faron moved to Millers Creek, North Carolina to create Wildside Kennels. In 2008 Ed Faron was indicted for a running a dog fighting operation called Wildside Kennels, which was based in

Wilkes County, North Carolina Wilkes County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is a part of the state's western western North Carolina, mountain region. The population was 65,969 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

. In 2009, he pleaded guilty to dog fighting and received a 10-month prison sentence plus probation time. Faron had previously been convicted for dog fighting in 1989. 127 pit bulls were seized in the 2008 raid, to be euthanized.

References

1949 births People from Ohio Living people 21st-century American criminals American male criminals American people convicted of cruelty to animals Criminals from North Carolina Writers from North Carolina Dog breeders Dog trainers {{dog-stub