Dogs found emaciated in Swissvale apartment

SWISSVALE, Pa. — A man was arrested after police discovered two dogs left alone in a Swissvale Apartment.

Authorities discovered the two dogs after a woman contacted them after noticing a strong odor from the apartment.%

%

“As soon as I opened the door, I smelled death,” said neighbor Ashley Marte. “It hit me on the face.”

Marte noticed the smell while walking along Monogahela Avenue in Swissvale.

“They knocked on the door,” Marte said. “No dogs barked, nobody answered or anything and there was supposed to be no water in that building. Nobody’s supposed to be living in there because it’s a condemned building.”

When officers got into the apartment, they discovered two emaciated dogs, one was dead.

“The dog had probably been deceased for two or three days. The smell was horrific,” said police officer Paul Christian.

Swissvale police arrested the dogs' owner Tony Ferguson and charged him with animal cruelty.

"We attempted to contact the guy several times with nothing," Christian said.

Christian said they had an agreement with Ferguson to actually take the dogs from him last week but Ferguson never answered the door or his phone.

"I hope he gets what he gets in jail," Christian said.

The surviving dog, a pitbull, is being cared for by True Companion Rescue.

For more information about assistance and adoption, visit  Adopt A Pet's website.

Cox Media Group