Juvenile sentenced for animal cruelty after dead dogs found in yard

A juvenilewas sentenced to five months for an animal cruelty case that involved two dogs found dead, an emaciated dog and a turtle, the PSPCA announced Tuesday.

The juvenile, who was not identified due to his age, was sentenced at a hearing Monday to serve five months in a juvenile detention center, according to the PSPCA.

The case arose from a Feb. 23 incident at the juvenile’s Kensington residence when Humane Law Enforcement officers received reports of two dead dogs in the home’s yard.

Officers searched the residence on the 2000 block of Birch Street, removed the two two dead dogs, “as well as a third severely thin dog and a turtle,” according to the PSPCA.

The emaciated dog and turtle were adopted to new permanent homes after being handed over to the PSPCA as part of a civil proceeding.

“The Pennsylvania SPCA will not stand for such blatant acts of animal cruelty,” said Jerry Buckley, CEO of the PSPCA, which is entirely donor-funded, in a statement. “We hope that convictions like this will serve as a message to juveniles, and people everywhere, that animals are to be protected and cherished, not to be abused.”

The PSPCA has created The George Bengal Fund in honor of George Bengal, the head of Humane Law Enforcementwho was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer, to fund their efforts fighting animal cruelty.

Visit bengalfund.kintera.org to learn more.