A news story from Indiana last week probably was troubling to many West Virginians who read it. We hope state law enforcement officials follow up on it.

According to The Associated Press, Indiana authorities seized 109 pit bulls in raids on three sites where they believe the animals were being bred and trained for illegal dog fighting. Just one suspect was arrested - but animal carcasses and dog fighting paraphernalia were found at the sites.

Investigators in Indiana ‘‘believe the dogs may have been bred for fighting in other states, including Kentucky and West Virginia,’’ the AP story noted.

While the overwhelming majority of Mountain State residents are repulsed and angered by any activity involving cruelty to animals, it would be naive to believe that some do not engage in vicious ‘‘sports’’ such as dog fighting. There has been evidence in the recent past that dog fighting takes place in our state.

If state law enforcement officials have not yet contacted their counterparts in Indiana, they should do so - and quickly. It may be that evidence available in Indiana could be used to break up dog fighting rings here in West Virginia.

Rest assured, however, that if West Virginians are connected to the Indiana breeders and trainers, they will be closing up shop and/or relocating quickly. In all likelihood, they heard of the Indiana raids before the news media reported them.

Many law enforcement officials are not able to devote as much effort as they would like to investigating cases of animal cruelty. This is not a report concerning abuse of an individual animal, however. It involves vicious treatment of scores of dogs. For that reason, we urge West Virginia authorities to check into the Indiana report and, if possible, act on information received from the raids in that state.