PITTSBURGH — More than a dozen animals have been adopted after they were rescued from a home in the city’s Westwood neighborhood. Pittsburgh police have filed charges against a former resident of the now-abandoned house.
In court documents, police described the conditions 14 animals were living in as “deplorable” and “unimaginable.”
Now, it’s a happy ending for the 13 dogs and one cat after they were removed from the house on Barr Avenue and taken to the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh (HARP) on the North Side.
“We were so happy to get them out and into great homes,” said Dan Cody, executive director of HARP. “When animals are brought to us in conditions like this, it breaks our heart.”
Police say at one point, Kelly Roberts Kormick lived in the home, and the address was listed on her ID. Roberts Kormick told police the house originally belonged to her parents, but they no longer live there.
Investigators said she told them she moved to Beaver County, had not returned to the home in months, and had no idea what it looked like.
The animals were found severely malnourished with insects on their bodies, surrounded by flies and feces on every surface imaginable, according to police paperwork.
But some of the other animals weren’t as lucky. Police said detectives and animal control officers found the bodies of dogs and skeletal remains after responding to a 311 complaint of rotting trash piled up and the smell of ammonia on September 2. One officer said the odor was so strong, he deemed it necessary to wear his gas mask. Police said the floors were wet with waste and squishy to walk on and said no edible dog food [or] sources of clean water were visible, according to court documents.
Cody said he’s happy HARP staff members worked together to help the animals have a better future.
“The outcome is not always this positive, right? We don’t always have a situation where 14/14 are going to be adopted, survive, and be healthy and happy and find that forever home. But in this case, we’re so happy that they did,” Cody said.
Roberts Kormick is facing more than 40 counts of animal neglect or animal cruelty charges.
If you’re struggling to provide your animals food or other necessities, you can reach out to HARP’s Pet Helpline. It can be reached by phone at 412-345-0348 or by email at pethelpline@HumaneAnimalRescue.org
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