SHENANDOAH -- On Friday, a man's dogs were confiscated by the SPCA. On Monday, a hearing was held to evict him from his Schuylkill County home. Police say they'll charge him animal cruelty.
All of this started when officials of the Ruth Steinert SPCA near Pine Grove say four dogs and eight pups were found abandoned in a Shenandoah home last week without food or water. They are owned by Jose Rivera.
Neighbor Bill Lehman said he knew there was something wrong.
"Barking and fighting in that house all last week. All day long you heard barking and fighting. The resident was in and out of there and would leave the dogs for days."
Bob Flario is Riveria's landlord
"It's been a nightmare for the last three months and I feel bad for the neighbors. They have been approaching my family and saying the dogs have been barking, the dogs are fighting and what not." Flario said.
Landlord Flario went before a magisterial district judge on Monday. The judge ruled Rivera owes three months of back rent. One of the reasons Flario wants Rivera evicted is the damage his dogs did to his property.
"It was atrocious to see the condition of the dogs, the adult dogs which were trying to get at the pups, the mom dog was chewed up trying to defend her young, no food or water in the house." Flario explained
Shenandoah's chief of police said animal cruelty charges will be filed against Jose Rivera. It's unclear if they'll be citations or criminal charges.