Dog fights probed in Uniontown
Uniontown police said they are investigating alleged dog fighting in Uniontown after they found four pit bulls abandoned in a deplorable home Oct. 20. Police Chief Jason A. Cox said officers were called to 62 1/2 Whiteman Ave. for a report of four pit bulls inside an abandoned home.
Cox said officers spoke to the owner of the home, Samuel Farris, who told police that no one had lived in the home for several weeks and that he had come to the residence that day to prepare the residence for a new tenant when he heard the dogs inside.
Cox said the dogs inside the home were “extremely aggressive” and added that several neighbors reported that they believed that the dogs were used for dog fighting.
Cox said he and Officer Frederick Kampert and K-9 Officer Michael C. Garrow Sr. entered the residence to try and secure the animals.
Cox said that the officers tried to get the first dog inside the residence with a control stick but it tried to attack Garrow who then used his handgun to kill the animal.
Cox said when Garrow fired the shots killing the dog, another dog ran upstairs and then out a window onto a roof.
Cox said that neighbors identified the dog as the “most aggressive” of all the animals.
Cox said he and Kampert were able to gain entry into the residence through an upstairs window and he was able to shoot and kill the animal before it could injure any officers.
He said that officers were able to contain and control the other two dogs, which were tied in the kitchen area, and turn them over to the Fayette County SPCA.
He said that the home was in terrible condition and that it appeared the animals had been tied in the residence for several days.
“It is never ideal to have to put down an animal, but in this case we acted to ensure officer safety and the safety of the public,” Cox said. “However, through a tactical approach, we were able to rescue two of the dogs without incident. To leave animals in a deplorable home such as this, without food or water for days is a deplorable act in itself.”
Cox said the incident remains under investigation. He said anyone with information on who might have been living at the residence or anyone with information about dog fighting can call police at 724-430-2929.