Curious George’s Former Owner Found, Cited

The former owner of Curious George, the emaciated American Bulldog-Pit Bull mix that was recently rescued, has turned himself in to authorities thanks to the hard work of the Humane Investigator Bill Vernon and Morton Police Department's Chief Eugene Guarnere, the SPCA announced Tuesday.

. As of Tuesday, he is now a healthy 61.2 pounds, according to the SPCA's Director of Community Relations Justina Calgiano.

George's former owner, a 28-year-old Morton resident, was cited with two violations of animal cruelty, one of depriving the tan and white dog whose name was formerly "Floyd" necessary sustenance and another charge for animal abandonment, according to Calgiano.

The Mortan man is identified as Lamont Alexander. See his court docket above.

According to Alexander's statement, he abandoned the dog in the early morning hours of Oct. 31 on Naamans Creek Road in Lower Chichester Township. The dog was later seen in his deplorable condition of 35 pounds walking down Naamans Creek Road near Duffer’s Mill bar and picked up by a Good Samaritan on the afternoon of Oct. 31 who then drove him to the SPCA, according to Calgiano.

"I thought the best thing to do would be to let him go, so I had someone drive me and let the dog go in Lower Chichester," Alexander said in a statement.

According to Calgiano, the Morton man has 10 days to enter a guilty plea to the district justice of each town where the charges were filed. The deprivation of sustenance charge was filed in Morton and the abandonment charge was filed in Lower Chichester.

Each district justice will then impose the appropriate penalties on Alexander.

Each citation of animal cruelty carries with it the possibility of 90 days of jail time and a fine ranging from $50 to $750, according to Calgiano.

The $1,000 reward offered by the newly formed organization Justice Rescue brought leads and attention to the case and helped in finding George's former owner, according to Calgiano.

In just three weeks, Curious George has rebounded from the worst case of deliberate starvation ever seen by the authorities at the Delaware County SPCA, to a loving, healthy dog, Calgiano said.

The Delaware County SPCA on Saturday, Nov. 26. Meet-and-greets with viable families will be performed at a later date.

Thanks to the overwhelming community support, the Curious George Fund has been established in Curious George’s name to care for all of the other animals that arrive at the Delaware County SPCA in the same deplorable conditions as Curious George. To donate to the Curious George Fund, visit www.delcospca.org/donations.

For continued updates on Curious George and his adoption process click here.