OAKDALE, Pa. — Dozens of charges have been filed against the owner of seven dogs. Police say they’d been living in deplorable conditions inside a camper.
Six of the dogs were puppies. They were found living in small cages and in several inches of their own waste.
“I’ve never seen conditions that bad,” Humane Officer Samantha Horstman told Channel 11. She was on the team that recovered the dogs.
“When we went into the camper initially, the smell is what hits you first,” she said. “I was actually speechless when I saw the conditions the puppies were living in. I’ve never been speechless in a moment like that but I had no words to comprehend what was going on.”
According to police, the camper belongs to Joshua Humes. He’s an employee at J.T. Landscaping in Oakdale.
Owner Joe Tortorea told Channel 11 he was trying to help his employee and let him keep the camper on the property for what he thought was two weeks. It’s been there for eight months.
According to a criminal complaint, an anonymous concerned citizen eventually reported the situation.
The dogs are now in rehab. Horstman says they are doing well physically but have never been socialized.
“They’ve never seen people. They’ve probably never touched grass, never played with toys.”
We attempted to reach Humes at the address listed on court paperwork, but no one answered the door.
He is still employed at J.T. Landscaping.
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