Starved Dogs In Maspeth House

More than a month after law enforcement agents found a dog dead and another canine neglected at a Maspeth home, their owner was cuffed last Friday, Jan. 25, on animal cruelty charges, it was reported.

Joseph Adragna of 60th Road was booked following an investigation by the ASPCA Enforcement Unit for allegedly causing the death of a fiveyear old male shepherd and starving a four-year-old pit bull.

The canines were found by ASPCA agents during a visit to Adragna’s home on Dec. 14, 2012 after receiving a complaint about the neglected pets.

Upon arriving at the scene, according to the ASPCA’s Joseph Pentangelo, the agents found the dogs in a gated area in the front porch of the home secured by two locks.

The shepherd was found dead at the scene. Authorities said a necropsy performed by ASPCA veterinarians ruled starvation as the cause of death; the dog weighed just 31 lbs.

Pentangelo stated that the pit bull found at Adragna’s home, named Amber, was observed to be weak, very thin and having difficulty walking. She was rushed to Berg Memobers rial Animal Hospital in Manhattan and was determined to be dehydrated and starving.

In the weeks since being removed from the Maspeth home, Amber has made a strong recovery, Pentangelo stated. Admitted to the hospital weighing just 35.4 lbs., Amber has since gained 37 percent of her original body weight, and presently tips the scale at 48.6 lbs.

Subsequent to an investigation conducted by the ASPCA, Adragna was arrested last Friday by Agent Paul Romano and was booked on charges of animal cruelty.

An investigation is ongoing.