Apollo Man Charged For Abandoning Dog In Woods To Starve
LATROBE (KDKA) -- A chance encounter in the woods saved a dog from starving to death, and now her former owner is facing charges for abandoning her, leaving her to die.
It was Mount Pleasant hunter Tom Taxacher who stumbled across the starving, weak dog left for dead in the woods of Westmoreland County.
His first call was to his dog groomer and friend Suzanne Galley.
"She was scared and starving to death. Very, very skinny; very bad shape," said Galley. "It was immediate; I wasn't leaving the woods without her."
The dog, named Villa, was soon under the care of the people at Action for Animals in Latrobe.
"Her weight was her bone weight, skin weight and internal organs," said Luann Hutcheson, the manager of the shelter. "She was 28 pounds."
At 5-years-old, the boxer-mix should have been 50 pounds, so the fight to save Villa began.
The search for the person responsible was well underway, too. State police soon arrested 41-year-old Robert Hauser of Apollo.
Villa ended up near death because, according to police, Hauser said he couldn't afford dog food. He allegedly planned to shoot the dog in the woods; instead, he just abandoned her.
"If you cannot care for an animal, go to a rescue, ask for help," said Hutcheson.
Hauser now faces cruelty to animal charges and disorderly conduct.
Villa is doing better and growing stronger, all thanks to all the people who care, especially Taxacher, a hunter with a huge heart.
"Hunters have compassion for their dogs," said Hutcheson.
If all goes as planned and Villa continues to recover, she'll be ready for adoption in a couple of weeks.
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