A former East Deer man is facing multiple counts of animal cruelty and neglect charges after he left three dogs to die, according to the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office.
Christopher J. Edmunds, 30, was apprehended Tuesday evening at his workplace, about five minutes from the township house where the dogs were abandoned.
According to the criminal complaint, deputies and an official from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency went to evict Edmunds from his home along West Eighth Avenue around 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 17.
Deputies reported the smell of dog feces emanating from the property and could hear several dogs barking.
The complaint states deputies reached Edmunds by phone, and he told them there were three dogs in the house.
He told them he was “in a bad way and unable to take care of his animals,” court documents state.
Edmunds said he left food and water for the dogs on April 10, a week before the eviction.
The complaint states deputies entered the home and saw a long-haired white dog. The dog did not appear to be in poor health, but was covered in feces, according to the complaint.
Deputies said the home was in deplorable condition with dog feces, urine and garbage covering the entire residence. A pile of dog food was located in the middle of a floor upstairs, but no water was visible.
Deputies also found two rottweilers in a basement. Those dogs also did not appear to be in poor health, but were covered in feces, court documents state.
Deputies took the white dog to Animal Friends in Ohio Township and the rottweilers to Big Easy Dog Daze in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood.
Edmunds was transported to the Allegheny County Jail. He is charged with six counts of animal cruelty and 13 counts of neglect of animals, according to online court documents.
