Police Find Dog in "Deplorable Conditions" Inside Home Filled With Urine, Feces and Mold

COVENTRY, RI — A 24-year old man faces two counts of animal cruelty after police rescued a German Shepherd from his home last month.

According to Col. John MacDonald, chief of police, officers from Coventry and Smithfield went to a Washington Street residence on Sept. 27 to serve an arrest warrant for Dylan Harris.

Harris, 24, of Coventry, is currently being held at the state prison on an unrelated charge.

When police went to arrest him in September, they found an "emaciated" female German Shepherd living in "deplorable conditions" inside the home, and they contacted the animal control officer.

According to the police, the home was "full of animal feces, urine and moldy food."

The dog was taken to an animal hospital for treatment and is now being cared for by the dog officer. "Her health has improved greatly," police said. "At her last weight in she was up 10 pounds."

She has been renamed Bella.

Coventry police charged Harris on Oct. 3 with two counts of animal cruelty, MacDonald said. He was at the Kent County Courthouse on an unrelated charge, MacDonald said.