Dogs found in abandoned home

YOUNGSTOWN — City patrolman Jeffrey Roberts says it’s no secret among his colleagues how much he cares for animals.

So today, while showing rookie officer Anthony Trimble some out-of-the-way spots on his East Side beat, Roberts heard a dog barking on Crofton Street, a street devoid of all but two abandoned houses – but abundant in litter and bugs. He stopped because hearing a dog bark in that barren part of the city is unusual.

“I’m the dog lover on day turn,” said Roberts. “Everybody knows it.”

Roberts decided to stop, and it was a good thing he did. Police and humane agents found two dogs inside the home that Dave Nelson of the Mahoning County Dog Warden’s office said appear to have been kept there for dog-fighting purposes.

Both dogs appeared to have been cared for, but one was tethered to a chain in the front yard and another was inside the home. The dog in front of the home that caught Roberts’ attention did not give himself up quietly to be taken captive but settled down once he was placed in an Animal Charity van.

For the complete story, read Thursday's Vindicator and Vindy.com