Emaciated Dog Found In Liberty Borough, Owner Charged
LIBERTY BOROUGH (KDKA) -- A dog is with humane agents Sunday after he was found emaciated in Liberty Borough, and police might have never found out had it not been for some Good Samaritans in the neighborhood.
Bo is a black lab from Liberty Borough. His ribs are showing and he is very sickly.
"The dog is full of fleas, and has Lyme Disease. On a scale of 1 to 10, the dog is at a 1 with being starved to death," said Lt. Raymond Johnson with Liberty Borough Police.
Lt. Johnson says a neighbor in Liberty Borough called police around 11 p.m. Saturday and stated that a very sick dog was wandering the neighborhood.
"This thing was emaciated like I've never seen it before," neighbor John Lewis said.
Lewis had a family fire going Saturday night when Bo paid a visit.
"We felt so bad for him. My son was hand-feeding the guy in rage," Lewis said. "The claws on his paws were never cut. It just looked a wild animal, but emaciated like you would not believe."
Police contacted Animal Control and took Bo to a vet to get checked out. Animal Control says Bo is in stable condition and eating, but it's unclear if he will survive at this point.
As for Bo's owner, he is David Basa, 56, and is facing multiple charges including animal cruelty. He lives on Elm Street in Liberty Borough, where police say Bo escaped.
"According to Mr. Basa, he fed the dog every day and gave it water, but look at the pictures. I can't see how the dog is being fed," Johnson said.
"I can't believe it. I know he feeds his dog. He takes care of it. The dog is 17 years old," neighbor Tim Coelter said.
Lt. Johnson said Basa told him he didn't have the money to care for Bo.
"If you want animals, take care of them," Raymond said.
If you are interested in helping out Bo with his vet bills you're being asked to send money to Who Rescued Who Humane Society. Their mailing address is 430 N. State Street Clairton, PA 15025. They can be reached via phone at (412)-720-9477.
You can also contact them via fax at (412)-226-1029 or email at WRWHS@yahoo.com. They can also be found on Facebook.
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