State Revokes Fayette Co. Animal Shelter's License
UNIONTOWN (KDKA/AP) -- Dogs and cats have been removed from a troubled animal shelter in Fayette County.
Officials say 40 dogs and nine cats were taken from the Fayette County SPCA shelter today to Animal Friends of Westmoreland in Youngwood.
State officials revoked the Uniontown shelter's license after allegedly finding numerous sick dogs and multiple health violations.
A dog law officer on Thursday filed more than two dozen citations against the Fayette County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The complaints include failing to provide sanitary and humane conditions and failing to vaccinate an animal within 10 days.
Inspectors who visited the shelter on July 16 and Aug. 7 found sick dogs, piles of feces and an insect infestation.
"Anytime you transfer this amount of animals, some of their illnesses, if there's anything dormant, could actually become active," said Candy Nelson, a shelter worker from Westmoreland County. "So we're probably going to be on a quarantine until at least Monday, and once our quarantine is lifted and we are able to deem the animals healthy, then we can get them into foster homes and start getting them adopted."
Nelson says the decision by state officials to revoke the shelter's license is "unprecedented."
Fayette SPCA president Sam Hunt says the facility has spent $15,000 since July 16 to clean the building and make repairs. The shelter has a week to appeal the revocation.
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