“It’s going to be felony charges of animal cruelty and neglect,” the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police said of what the dog’s owner is facing
NEED TO KNOW
- A Pittsburgh resident found a malnourished dog wandering the streets and rescued the canine
- The dog was transported to a local animal shelter for further treatment and evaluation
- Officials say the pet is expected to make a full recovery
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police is on the hunt for a dog owner after a resident found and reported an emaciated dog wandering the streets of the Pennsylvania city.
According to the Pittsburgh Police’s public information officer, Cara Cruz, who spoke with PEOPLE, the dog — a young female estimated to be about two years old — was first spotted on Saturday, Dec. 6, by a woman walking her own dog in a local park in a northern area of the city.Cruz added that the starving, abandoned dog was so weak and skittish that it ran when the woman first tried to approach. But by Monday morning, around 6:04 am, the same resident coaxed the visibly frail dog into a kennel before authorities arrived to secure the pet.
Sgt. Stephanie LaBella of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, who cared for the dog while it was in custody, told PEOPLE the dog appeared extremely malnourished and yet was still incredibly kind.
“For what the dog has already been through, and being so malnourished and unfed and freezing cold, [she] was still very sweet. She was so high-spirited and full of life. She was so nice,” LaBella, who is an avid dog lover, shared…