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DETROIT, Mich. — A 52-year-old Detroit man was attacked and mutilated by three masked men on Friday. Police found the man tied up in his home and suffering gruesome wounds, including multiple stab wounds with an ice pick and a severed ear.

FOX 2 in Detroit reported that police believed the man to be breeding dogs to be used in illegal dog fighting rings. When they arrived on the property, they found at least 16 pit bulls in the backyard, emaciated and living in squalor. More than a dozen more dogs were found in the basement.

The man was reportedly feeding the dogs when three armed men forced him back into his home. Once inside, they allegedly tied him up along with two other tenants, then beat him and tortured him, as well as demanded money.

“They tied him up; they beat him up pretty bad. Broke ribs, broke fingers, stabbed him with ice picks, cut an ear off. It’s just messed up,” the victim’s cousin Marty Johnson said.

Police said they believe the man was targeted because of his breeding operation, which they believe is connected to dog fighting.

The masked suspects left with the man’s ear, along with his minivan.

Animal control was called to remove the dogs from the backyard and the basement.

The victim reportedly owns multiple properties; two of those homes were found with multiple pit bulls living there.

Relatives denied the man is involved in dog fighting, saying he just breeds them to sell.

“No, he don’t fight dogs. He breed dogs. No, he don’t fight dogs,” the victim’s brother explained. “He has a lot of dogs; it’s been like that since we was kids.”

“He loves his dogs,” Johnson said.

The man was taken to the hospital, where he is recovering. He is expected to face misdemeanor charges due to the conditions in which the dogs were living.

Police have not made any arrests.