Dogs left to starve in abandoned house
Garfield, PA (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, Sep 14, 2004
County: Berks

Disposition: Open

Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

Humane officers are on the hunt for the person who left two dogs to starve inside an abandoned house in Garfield. One of the severely malnourished dogs died; but animal workers are trying to nurse the other back to health.

The Allegheny County Health Department discovered the animals on Sept 14 while investigating neighbors' complaints about the conditions of the house along Hillcrest Street.

When Officer Beverly Matthews slipped through a basement window of the boarded up home, she was appalled by what she found.

"The basement where the animals were kept was completely full of feces, no food, no water. It was just a horrendous condition for the animals to be in. They were just basically left there to die...

"This is not something that occurred over a couple of weeks now - this is months of neglect." -- Officer Beverly Matthews, Western PA Humane Society

A pit bull found at the home died after experiencing convulsions brought on severe dehydration and starvation.

While Chief Humane Officer Ronald Smith told KDKA that the other dog, a boxer, has a good chance of pulling through, he said the animal will have a long road to recovery. "It's going to take a long time," Smith said yesterday.

With his protruding ribs, the boxer weighs half as much as he should. He's being cared for at the Humane Society, but won't be ready for adoption for at least a couple of months.

Officials are still working to track down the person responsible.

The home's owner of record is William Clemm, but neighbors say the house has been empty for a while.

"We are asking the public is they have any information, we would like to find the perpetrator and definitely bring charges."-- Beverly Matthews, Humane Officer

Anyone with information about the owner is asked to call the Humane Society at 412/321-4625, Extension 215.

If you have information on this case, please contact:
Humane Society
(412) 321-4625, ext

References

• KDKA - Sept 15, 2004

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