Dog found starved, abandoned and shot twice in Armstrong County

After a dog was found starved, abandoned and shot twice in the head, Armstrong County humane officers are asking for help figuring out who's responsible. 

Around 8:45 p.m. on Sunday, humane officers said a man spotted the dog, named Rico, walking on a dirt road in Troy Hill in Kittanning. He noticed the dog was very skinny, so he gave him some food. But since he had his own dogs with him, investigators said he went home and called his niece. 

Then, between 8:45 p.m. and 9:15 p.m., officers said someone stopped and shot Rico twice in the head before leaving the scene. 

When the woman and her husband arrived, humane officers said they found the dog whimpering, injured and lying on the side of the road. 

The couple called police, who contacted humane officer Susan Clark with Humane Animal Allies. She took Rico to an emergency vet hospital in Monroeville, where an exam showed his injuries were so severe he had to be euthanized. 

A forensic veterinarian performed a necropsy on Rico, which showed he suffered from starvation before being shot twice in the head. 

Humane Animal Allies thanked Clark, an unpaid volunteer, for getting Rico to the hospital. They said after leaving the vet at 11 p.m., she went directly to her job as a firefighter and EMT, working the midnight to 8 a.m. shift.   

Investigators are now asking anyone with information about Rico to call Clark at 724-316-7691 or email her at armstrongposclark@gmail.com.