ADAMS COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM)– The discovery of three dead cats along with two neglected dogs in an Adams County home has led to animal cruelty charges.

Allison Ost, 27, of Fairfield, left the animals locked inside the home, alone, for weeks without proper food or water, according to charges filed by Carrol Valley Police.

Adams County SPCA posted on Facebook that the animals were left for six weeks and the two dogs, German Shepherd mixes, were underweight when police recovered them. According to the SPCA post, the dogs were just skin and bones, and that one had a hard time walking.

The landlord was checking the home on May 2 due to the water not being used for a month and when they entered the home they found the emaciated dogs and a dead cat, according to the criminal complaint.

Police arrived at the home, located along Pine Hill Trail Road, and contacted Ost who reported she was in Pittsburg for a week, but neighbors told police they hadn’t seen her in weeks, the charging documents show.

The dogs were in the backyard and escaped while police were on the phone with Ost, but neighbors were able to help police gather them. Neighbors said how “extremely emaciated” the dogs appeared to be, compared to when they saw the animals before.

This was when police said the SPCA was contacted to take care of the emaciated dogs, named Mist and Teddy.

Police said they were met with “a large amount” of feces and a “strong odor” of urine when they entered the home through a basement door, and furniture was torn, according to the criminal complaint.

SPCA employees believed two of the deceased cats died from dehydration while the other died from starvation. The cats were sent to the Pennsylvania State Vet Lab in Harrisburg for autopsies.

The criminal complaint states that police did find an empty water bottle and two other ones full of food.

While in the care of the SPCA, it was determined the body score of the dogs was 1 out of 10, they were dehydrated, and one dog had conjunctivitis, police said.

Ost faces felony charges of aggravated cruelty to animals and misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals and neglect.

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Ost is out of Adams County Prison after she posted her $7,500 bail on May 3 and awaits a preliminary hearing scheduled for Wednesday.

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