Jeannette man charged with animal cruelty

A Jeannette man accused of shooting at his neighbor last year was charged Monday with animal cruelty after a dog fight led police to discover several pit bulls that had no water and were infected with parasites, according to court papers.

Dale A. Shaw, 64, is charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, neglect and related offenses. He had not been arraigned.

City police were called to Shaw’s Chestnut Street property on July 23 after one of the dogs broke free from its chain and attacked another dog, according to court papers. Police said an officer shot the aggressor dog and notified Shaw to take the injured animal to a veterinarian.

He failed to do so, according to court papers.

An officer took the pit bull the next day to an animal hospital where Shaw authorized euthanasia three days later, police said.

A humane officer from All But Furgotten, a state dog warden and Jeannette police conducted a wellness check Aug. 3 on the five remaining dogs.

Four of the animals were tethered with heavy chains and the fifth was in a kennel. Investigators said the dogs’ living space was littered with rocks, debris, feces and broken glass and the animals were infested with fleas and other parasites.

The dogs didn’t have any water, according to court papers.

A week later, after attempts to contact Shaw and work with a caregiver to remedy the situation, a warrant was served and the animals were removed. Shaw did not provide proof of rabies vaccines or licenses, according to police.

Shaw was arrested in 2002 in connection with a large-scale dog fighting ring that arranged bouts between pit bulls in basements around the area. State police seized nine pit bulls from him then, according to Tribune-Review archives. The outcome of the case was unclear in online court records.

Shaw is awaiting trial on attempted homicide and related offenses after police said he fired a gun at a neighbor on Dec. 12. The neighbor videotaped the shooting after Shaw allegedly threatened him and shined a spotlight at him, according to court papers. He initially was held in jail without bond but a judge set $50,000 bond for him in April and it was posted in May, according to online court records.

Shaw lives in the same house where two of four teenagers were shot by his son in March 2016 as they tried to break in through a window that held an air conditioner. The teens were charged and Cody Shaw was never arrested. Residents can be protected by the state’s Castle Doctrine, a law that permits people to use deadly force when they fear for their lives or property.

Dale Shaw did not have an attorney listed in the new complaint. A phone number for him could not be located. No court action has been set.