Harmar police accuse man of nearly starving dog to death; felony charges filed

A Harmar man faces felony charges after police accused him of leaving his dog in a crate for weeks and nearly starving it to death.

John Anthony Wells, 23, of the 400 block of Nixon Road was charged with two felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals along with multiple counts of cruelty and neglect of animals in connection with an investigation that began Feb. 11, according to his arrest papers.

An arrest warrant was issued for Wells on March 14, court records show. He was taken into custody June 9 and released from the Allegheny County Jail after a Pittsburgh bail agency posted a $20,000 bond on his behalf.

Wells faces a preliminary hearing June 27 before District Judge David Sosovicka.

Police said the owners of the property Wells rents contacted them Feb. 11 to report that they were taking the dog to an animal hospital because it was emaciated, after spotting the animal in a cage inside his house.

The property owners told police Wells previously had introduced the dog to them as his service animal, the complaint said.

They said Wells had not been to the house for three full weeks to check on the dog, which was rescued by Animal Friends in Ohio Township, according to the complaint.

A veterinarian at the shelter determined the dog was suffering from extreme emaciation, the complaint said.

The dog’s ribs were protruding, and it was suffering from muscle atrophy in the front and hind legs, police wrote in Wells’ arrest papers.

Veterinarians use a body-weight index to calculate an animal’s health with 10 being the optimal condition, said Cody Hoellerman, a spokesman for Animal Friends.

The dog’s score was 1 when it was rescued, he said.

Investigators noted the dog weighed 29.7 pounds when it was brought to the shelter. Its weight increased to 41.7 pounds after a month of proper feeding, which is close to what its normal weight should be.

Hoellerman said Animal Friends does not release the names of animals that are part of rescue operations until a judge orders a shelter to take formal custody of the animal or the owner relinquishes custody to the shelter.

“The dog was a little on the shy side when he was brought in, but, since being placed in foster care, he is doing very well,” Hoellerman said.

Police said they did not know how much food and water Wells left for the dog, but both bowls were empty when they investigated.

“He may have left some food for the dog, but certainly not enough for the time it was in that cage,” police Chief Jason Domaratz said. “The dog was trying to eat the plastic cage when we found it.”

Police said the dog was extremely thin and its fur was matted and stained with urine and feces.

The cage was less than 3 feet long by 3 feet wide by 2 feet tall, according to the complaint.