Kayasha Lasha Stevens of 311 N. Catawba St. was charged Tuesday with maltreatment of a dog. The charge carries a maximum penalty of a $1,092 fine or 30 days in jail.
Animal Control Officer Nate Payseur of the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the Catawba Street area Monday to search for a pit bull roaming the neighborhood. After catching the loose dog, Payseur noticed an extremely thin female pit bull at the 311 N. Catawba residence.
Three weeks earlier, Payseur had made a welfare check on the animal and her nine puppies. She was malnourished and had signs of internal parasites. He rated the dog a 3 on the 10-point scale that animal control uses to assess animals. which is based on the weight and appearance of the dog ranging from severely underweight to severely overweight. Ratings 1-3 are too thin, 6-10 are too heavy.
During Monday’s visit, the dog’s condition had deteriorated further, and Payseur rated her a 2. The puppies were no longer on the premises.
At a 2 rating, a dog has visible ribs and backbone and very little body fat, said Dr. Candice Ellis, a veterinarian at Faulkner Animal Hospital.
“A rating of 2 would clearly be a malnourished or undernourished animal that is not being fed appropriately for it to maintain its body weight,” Ellis said.
The dog’s owners, Kayasha Stevens and Kenneth Thompson, surrendered the dog to animal control Monday, according to the sheriff’s incident report. Thompson signed the dog over to Animal Control. Stevens was charged the next day. Thompson was not at the residence.
The incident report stated that both owners said they had increased the feed for the dog but “she would not gain weight.”
Reached at her home Thursday, Stevens said she had no comment on the case.
Animal rescue groups have intervened in an effort to restore the dog’s health. They have named her Layla. Lancaster Area Shelter Supporters’ member Diane Rashall transported Layla to the vet Tuesday, and Lancaster Humane Society President Mary Reimers paid the medical bill.
Layla was transported to Paws n Claws in Columbia for boarding on Wednesday. The dog has been rescued by Rescue Dogs Rock of New York, and once she is strong enough she will be transported to a new home in New York.
As of Thursday afternoon, Layla was healing and doing well, according to office manager Jay Nelson of Paws n Claws.
9/9/16
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