COITSVILLE Dog owner denies he starved animal

The defendant is arranging for an independent vet to check the dog.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
COITSVILLE -- A township resident is denying animal cruelty charges filed against him in the death of his 1-year-old black Labrador mix last week.
Nathaniel Danley, 63, of McGuffey Road, who called The Vindicator Saturday, denied the charge that he failed to provide food and water to the dog, which he said he found dead, tethered to her doghouse by a 12-foot chain, Tuesday.
Danley said he provided food and water daily to the dog, which would kick over the water bowl, but that he does not know how the dog died. "Definitely, I'm denying it [the charge]. I buy food down at the Dollar Store practically every other day," he said.
"My kids liked the dog. I liked the dog," he said, adding that the animal was a good watchdog. "I live in the country. I've got three acres of land. If I had intentions of doing wrong, I'd have buried the dog," he said. "I work eight hours a day, so I don't know what happened," he said.
Danley was arrested at his residence Thursday evening after he called the township road department to have the dog picked up.
Danley said he will plead innocent when he appears for arraignment at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Campbell Municipal Court and is arranging for an independent veterinarian to examine the dog. "I don't care what it costs," he said. "I want to have a trial, and I'm going to have one," he added.
Vet's assessment: An Animal Charity veterinarian said the dog had no fat remaining in her body and no food in her system and died of starvation and dehydration. The veterinarian said the dog weighed 25 pounds instead of the normal 65 pounds for a dog of her size and age.
The vet told police the dog has been eating her own feces and police said she also ate plastic foam. "A dog will eat anything," including human waste, Styrofoam, wood, and grass, Danley said.