Pittsburgh Animal Care and Management staff charged with allegedly critically injured canines – CBS Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A Pittsburgh Animal Care and Control employee is accused of seriously injuring a dog.

Police say James Genco faces multiple charges, including a crime of aggravated animal cruelty.

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Police said Genco and another Animal Care and Control employee were called to the Strip District in March for two dogs left unattended in a vehicle.

Police said one of the dogs was seriously injured while the dogs were being taken to the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh. The dog, which police said was a kind of pit bull, suffered multiple injuries and was immediately taken to the vet for emergency care.

Genco’s attorney Casey White said the dog was vicious from the start.

“Right now he’s in a jail cell waiting to be charged,” White said.

According to the criminal complaint, it was St. Patrick’s Day in the Strip District when Genco and another officer removed two dogs left alone in an SUV. It was 50 degrees outside.

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The workers took the dogs to the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh in Homewood. According to the criminal complaint, a surveillance video was recorded there of Genco trying to remove the dog and push a control rod into the cage several times before he could put the noose around the dog’s neck.

The complaint says he pulled the dog off the truck, with a video showing the dog hitting the garage door and a brick wall. Another video inside shows Genco pulling the dog 25 to 30 feet behind him with the control bar while the animal was lying flat across the garage floor, according to the complaint.

The criminal complaint added that a veterinarian heard high-pitched screams and saw Genco dragging the dog and what appeared to be a trail of blood, urine and feces on the floor.

The dog suffered multiple chipped teeth, profuse bleeding, strangulation injuries, a broken tail, cuts and abrasions. A veterinarian said that because of these injuries, she believed that excessive force was used.

White said the dog was aggressive, angry and dangerous, adding that a police report supports this.

“We believe these reported injuries were self-inflicted because this dog was malicious,” said White.

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KDKA’s Jennifer Borrasso has been told the two dogs are back in Ohio with their owner. A source said the owner was in the area for work.