Differing opinions given on status of reportedly malnourished dog at Pittsburgh Mills Petland

The outcome of a report of a malnourished dog at the Pittsburgh Mills Petland is unclear after new information came to light on Sunday.

An initial report from Frazer police on Saturday indicated representatives from Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley evaluated the dog and found it to not be malnourished, but Animal Protectors disputed that claim on Sunday in a statement posted to its Facebook page.

“Unfortunately, this is not the position of Animal Protectors,” the statement said. “The individuals who went to Petland are affiliated with Animal Protectors but had no authority to represent the shelter. Animal Protectors is not qualified to make this determination — we are not veterinarians.”

Animal Protectors apologized for any confusion.

“We’re still looking into exactly what happened when the police contacted our shelter,” said Jim Ritchie, board member. “We did talk with Frazer police this morning and gave specific information about how to contact humane officers.”

Ritchie said he couldn’t comment on the status of the dog because it’s out of the shelter’s control.

A message left for police on Sunday wasn’t immediately returned, but they updated their Facebook with a new statement.

Police said in the post, “Frazer Police Department, in conjunction with Animal Protectors, is working to find a third party veterinarian or humane officer to check the puppy’s health as soon as is possible.”

A woman who identified herself as a manager of the Petland store over the phone had no comment and declined to give her name.

Humane Animal Rescue posted to its Facebook page that although the dog was underweight it was “alert, eating and functioning normally” after CEO Dan Rossi visited.

The rescue said all other dogs at the store “appeared to be a healthy weight and in good condition.”