North Belle Vernon man found guilty of animal cruelty for neglecting his sick dog
GREENSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) -- Guilty was the verdict handed down by a Westmoreland County court to a man who refused to help his sick dog.
Echo the dog is a 15-year-old Chow mix, thriving in a medical foster home. Two years ago, however, Echo was so badly neglected at a home in North Belle Vernon by his then-owner Dan Karbowsky that authorities had to step in.
KDKA-TV obtained pictures of Echo's neglect, but they are too disturbing to show.
Hannah Novak of All But Furgotten Animal Rescue says that in 2022, Echo not only had fur that was falling out and a whipworm infection, but a myriad of other problems.
"When we got him, he had pretty sizable open sores on his body," said Novak. "Along with the open sores, he had a pretty sizable mass that almost touched the ground. It was on his abdomen."
Karbowsky claimed that the abdominal tumor that Echo had was cancerous and that he didn't have the money to pay for the treatment, even though neighbors had offered to help Karbowsky financially with Echo's care.
When All But Furgotten seized Echo, they gave him emergency medical assistance, and according to Novak, tests on the tumor came back negative for cancer.
While Echo is now doing well, living out his golden years in that foster home, Karbowsky was found guilty of misdemeanor animal cruelty charges. He was given six years' probation and will be forced to pay $16,000 in medical restitution to All But Furgotten.
While Karbowsky is not allowed to own animals for the next six years for fear that he will mistreat them, the judge is making an exception for Karbowsky's wife who owns three cats.
"He wasn't going to take away ownership of the cats from the wife," said Novak, "since they are technically owned by her. They are subject to random house visits and welfare checks, so we can do random checks on those cats to make sure they are being cared for properly as well."
Karbowsky has 30 days to appeal this ruling, however, All But Furgotten says they will stay in court until Karbowsky is held accountable.
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