Monessen woman testifies wounded dog not aggressive, disputes claim it attacked neighbors

Carley Layhue told a Westmoreland County jury she still doesn’t understand why her dog was shot after he escaped the backyard of her Monessen home two years ago.

“He is the best dog. I couldn’t ask for a better dog for my children,” Layhue testified Tuesday during the second day in the animal cruelty trial of Rostraver chiropractor James Scirotto.

Police contend Scirotto, 48, fired at least seven shots at the dog from a .40 caliber pistol as the dog encroached upon his mother-in-law’s 70th birthday party on Oct. 1, 2019. She lived two doors away from Layhue’s home. Scirotto was charged with six offenses, including animal cruelty and reckless endangerment.

Honda, a mixed-breed Labrador, broke free from the backyard where it was chained. The dog, which survived, sustained one gunshot wound to a rear leg.

“He’s never been aggressive toward anybody and he’s great with other dogs,” Layhue told jurors.

Scirotto contends he acted in self defense to protect his family from a dangerous canine.

Assistant District Attorney Adam Barr told the jury that state humane agents received no prior reports about Honda and the pet was not considered to be a dangerous dog.

Officer Michael Hummel, who was among the first police officers to respond to calls about the shooting, testified he believed Scirotto had been drinking before the incident.

The jury viewed video of the investigation recorded from a camera on Hummel’s uniform that showed Scirotto and his wife claim Honda was about to attack their family’s dog and a child attending the birthday party.

Hummel said he didn’t believe Scirotto’s story and, on the video, can be heard calling Scirotto a “loose cannon.”

“I think this mother … needs smoked,” Hummel said on video.

Jamie Lender, Scirotto’s wife, testified Honda threatened partygoers and that her husband fired his gun as a last resort in an attempt to scare away the dog and later to ensure it didn’t attack.

“He was jumping and snapping,” Lender said of the Honda. “I could tell he was going to jump at me. I’m not sure how I didn’t get bitten.”

She told jurors that Scirotto fired several shots into the ground and later fired again when the dog returned.

Jurors could begin deliberations Wednesday following testimony from additional defense witnesses.