Owner Of Emaciated Dog Says He Thought She Had Worms
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The hearing for a man accused of starving a dog was postponed Thursday, but Gerald Walker had plenty to say to reporters.
Effie, a 3-year-old pit bull mix, was found severely emaciated in Homewood in January and has been on a road back to health.
Walker has been charged with animal cruelty, but he denied starving or hurting the dog.
"That dog was my dog, I had that dog for years, I didn't starve my dog," he said.
Walker said he first believed the dog had worms, but then the issues with her intestines started.
"She had something stuck in her intestines that I guess she got into, clothes or whatever, so she wasn't holding no weight," he said.
Officials say the dog was so starved that she ate plastic and underwear, which required surgery to unblock her intestines. Mary Withrow with the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society said that pictures of Effie speak for themselves, but that the dog continues to improve each day.
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"We'll just worry about getting Effie better, she's looking pretty good, she's coming along, she's gaining some weight, she has a long way to go, but we'll see what happens," Withrow said.
Walker said that the media has made him out to be a "bad guy," but that this is not the case.
"My dog loves me, if my dog came in here and saw me, she would run up here and jump on me," Walker insisted.
Police have charged Walker's mother, 36-year-old Tia Matthews, with witness intimidation, making terroristic threats and retaliation against a witness or victim. Walker defended his mom.
"My mom felt some type of way. Yeah, she did text her and say she's gonna '[expletive] her up' but that's a normal thing for a parent to do," he said.
Walker went on to say that his mother should not be charged, and that his only fault has nothing to do with abuse.
"It was my fault, I took a responsibility that I couldn't handle, you know what I'm saying? That was my fault and I do own up to that, but at the same time, I was still doing stuff to make sure my dog was ok," he said.
Walker is set to appear in court again in March. He remains out of jail after posting a $5,000 bond.