Police discover deplorable conditions, 77 animals; Penn Township officials condemn home

Two people were charged Friday with animal cruelty offenses after investigators removed 77 dogs, cats and other animals from a Penn Township home that later was condemned.

Police said a teenage boy was living there and the home didn’t have running water.

Humane officers and township police served a search warrant Aug. 14 at the Ashbaugh Road home and described deplorable conditions in court papers. They were accompanied by a county children’s bureau caseworker.

There were odors of feces, urine and raw sewage coming from the house, police said. Inside, feces coated the basement and first floors and rooms were covered in spiderwebs and mold. The ammonia smell made it difficult for authorities to survey the house.

“The specific conditions inside the residence were the worst I have experienced in my 15 years as a law enforcement officer and over 20 years as a first responder,” Sgt. Robert Broome wrote in court papers. “It is clear these conditions have been in the residence for a long period of time.”

All of the 46 dogs and 23 cats had fleas and worms. About half of the canines had no access to food or water, police said. Several of them had infections, overgrown nails, eye ulcers and other ailments. One dog had a ruptured uterus and another had a needle stuck in its belly, according to court papers.

A few of the cats had their teeth extracted because of stomatitis, or inflammation of the mouth, and one had a broken pelvis that had healed incorrectly because it hadn’t been treated, according to court papers. One of the cats died during surgery after the rescue.

Five guinea pigs, one dove, a chinchilla and a ferret also were rescued. None had food or water, police said. Found dead at the property were a dog, a bird, a snake and four chickens.

Township officials condemned the home at the time of the rescue and deemed it unfit for human occupancy.

Kathleen R. Chaney, 59, and James E. Chaney, 52, are facing charges of aggravated cruelty to animals, child endangerment and neglect of animals. James Chaney had a Lower Tyrone, Fayette County, address listed in court papers. Kathleen Chaney’s address was listed as the Ashbaugh Road house. They had not been arraigned.