All 12 pit bull terriers seized in the county about two weeks ago will likely be euthanized today, pending a court order, the shelter director charged with their care said.

Georgia Lynn, president and director of the Vicksburg-Warren Humane Society, told members of the Port City Kiwanis club Thursday morning that a mandate from the Warren County Circuit Court would be required to euthanize the animals that have likely been used for dogfighting. A hearing had been set for Thursday, and was continued until today.

Lynn had said earlier that two of the pit bulls might be able to be saved.

“I’ve had the bleeding hearts on me for the last two weeks with these dogs,” she said Thursday. “They’re saying, ‘If you fix them, you can save them.’ But you can’t.”

The dogs were brought to the U.S. 61 South animal shelter after they were found Oct. 8 chained up without food or fresh water in a wooded area north of C.J. Fisher Drive, off Mississippi 27. Firefighters discovered the dogs after responding to a brush fire.

On Sunday morning, about a week after the dogs were brought to the shelter, workers found the padlocks and latches of two outside kennels damaged, and one of the pit bulls escaped and roamed the grounds until a Vicksburg police officer happened upon the animal about 8:20 a.m. Sunday.

“We had to move these dogs inside because someone tried to steal them Sunday,” Lynn said.

The Humane Society filed a malicious mischief report. No suspects have been named, Vicksburg police Lt. Bobby Stewart said.

Lynn told Kiwanis members Thursday that the dogs have been wired for aggression by their handlers.

“A pit bull will fight to exhaustion and they will fight to the death,” she said. “The No. 2 dog has been fought the most, and he is the most aggressive —and he is my favorite dog. He’s really funny and he’s got a cute personality. But one day, he was literally hanging onto the 8-foot gate because he was trying to get over the top to get to the horses. He was trying to take on a horse. It was the most incredible site as it was grabbing and shaking the wires on the fence.”

Since the dogs were found, Sheriff Martin Pace said Thursday, no suspects have been named in the case. The owner of the property on which the pit bulls were discovered is not a suspect, he added.

“The investigation step is time-consuming, but we feel we will make an arrest,” he said. “We want to make certain that this is thoroughly investigated.”