Pittsburgh-area couple charged after police find 77 animals and teenage boy living in filth

PENN TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) -- A couple is facing charges after police said they found 77 animals and a 14-year-old boy living in a filthy home filled with feces in Westmoreland County.

According to court paperwork, humane officers called Penn Township police for help on Aug. 14 while seizing dozens of animals living at James and Kathleen Chaney's home on Ashbaugh Road. A humane officer told police the odor from inside the home was "unbearable" to rescuers on scene and there appeared to be no food or water for either animals or people. 

Outside the home, police said there were piles of trash and a strong odor of sewage. Inside the home, officers said they found feces coating the entire floor of the basement, and even the furniture on the first floor was covered with feces. There didn't appear to be any running water and there was no food in the home, police said. 

The criminal complaint said the officer who responded had to leave the house multiple times because "the smell of ammonia was so bad that it actually was burning the inside of my nasal cavity and my eyes." The officer went on to write, "The specific conditions inside the residence were the worst I have experienced in my 15 years as a law enforcement officer and over 20 years as a first responder." 

A CYS worker who was called to talk to the 14-year-old boy told police that the residence wasn't livable for humans, let alone a child.

Police said humane officers seized 46 dogs from the property. Twenty-one dogs had no access to food or water, and all of them had urine staining, fleas, flea dermatitis and worms, court paperwork said. One dog had a needle stuck in its belly and another had a ruptured uterus, police said. One dog was found dead, and police said it had been there for a long time. 

Authorities said they also seized 23 cats that had fleas, flea dermatitis, ear mites, worms and urine burns. One cat died in surgery after it was rescued, and another cat had a broken pelvis that was never treated and healed incorrectly. Four of them had bites that had resulted in infected injuries, police said. 

Humane officers said they also found five guinea pigs, a dove, a chinchilla and a ferret, all without access to food or water. A dog, bird, snake and four chickens were discovered dead on the property.

Police said they spoke with Kathleen Chaney on the phone while serving the search warrant, but she was at work and refused to come home. She admitted that she and her husband care for the animals and said they were the boy's parents, court paperwork said. 

Both James Chaney and Kathleen Chaney are facing a slew of charges, including aggravated cruelty to animals, animal neglect and endangering the welfare of children.