DENVER, Lancaster County — A Lancaster County woman is facing aggravated cruelty to animals, neglect of animals and other related charges after police found one of her dogs had died and another was severely underweight while she was out of town for a week.
East Cocalico Township police say Kaitlin K. McGurrin, of the 500 block of Walnut Street, told them she had paid two people to care for her dogs while she was out of town in April.
On April 14, police say, officers were dispatched to McGurrin’s residence to investigate the report of distressed dogs on the property. An officer found one male American bulldog dead at the rear of the home and a female American bulldog inside showing signs of distress. The female dog was lethargic and underweight, police say, and was suffering from an obvious skin condition and in need of the care of a veterinarian.
McGurrin told police she had been gone for a week, and had paid people to care for the dogs. When she returned home, she said she found one dog dead and the other underweight. A necropsy of the deceased dog revealed it weighed only 25.4 pounds, and its cause of death was determined to be emaciation, including gastric ulceration, a condition that occurs due to reducing blood flow to the lining of the stomach in malnourished dogs.
The examination of the second dog revealed it had severe weight loss, hair loss, dental disease, hyperkeratosis paw pads and overgrown nails. The dog also had food bloat, which occurs when a dog gorges on a massive amount of food causing gastric dilation. The second dog had no proof of a rabies vaccination or a Lancaster County Dog License. This dog has been surrendered to authorities.
McGurrin is currently in Lancaster County Prison on a Probation/Parole Violation. A Preliminary Hearing Date was set for May 30, 2018. The East Cocalico Police were assisted in its investigation by the Lancaster County Detectives.
