Investigators Consider Filing Charges After 14 Dogs Found Living In Filth
CHIPPEWA (KDKA) -- More than a dozen dogs were found abandoned in squalor in a Beaver County home Tuesday, and now efforts are underway to find new homes for them.
Chippewa Township Police originally went to the house on 20th Street Extension to check on the welfare of a 15-year-old boy who was reportedly living there alone.
Police didn't find the teenager, but they did find 14 small dogs living in a filthy house with no running water or electricity.
"To get some of the dogs out they literally had to take a shovel and make a path through all the trash and the feces. I mean, just total disarray," said Chippewa Police Chief Robert Berchtold.
The Beaver County Humane Society was called in to rescue the dogs, Miniature Pinscher and Dachshund mixes, all surprisingly in good health.
"They all appear to be in good condition," said Susan Salyards, of the Humane Society. "They're not emaciated. They obviously have been fed and are in decent condition."
At this point, police and the Humane Society are considering filing charges against the owner.
"It's something that our Humane Investigation Office will be looking into, and we'll be working with the Chippewa Township Police on whether to prosecute or whether this is just something that simply got out of hand," said Salyards.
The animals were signed over to the Humane Society, but there's still the question of the house. A locksmith changed the locks Tuesday afternoon.
Chief Berchtold says the owner has been cited before and now she could lose the house.
"Our solicitors and officers will look into condemning it due to the state they allowed it to get to," he said.
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
