3 more dogs rescued in Bedford animal abuse, hoarding case

BEDFORD COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Three more dogs tied to a Bedford County animal abuse and hoarding case have been rescued from a home in Johnstown.

The dogs were turned over to the Bedford County Humane Society, the same animal shelter that took in 90 dogs and cats from the animal abuse case on New Year’s Day.

Kathy Ramsey with the Bedford Humane Society said the three dogs that were turned over to the shelter are among 11 dogs total that are still in need of being rescued. Nearly 1,000 charges have been filed against a couple, Nyal and Renee Piper, in the case which include animal cruelty, neglect, and aggravated assault of animals, among others.

Ramsey explained the couple had been staying in a Johnstown home after the New Year’s raid at their Bedford County home. Two small dogs and a Bernese Mountain dog were turned over from that Johnstown home. Just as the animals in the Bedford case, the three dogs were in bad condition.

According to court documents in the Bedford case, dogs were kept in floor-to-ceiling cages, without much food or fresh water. Police noted the inside of the home was covered with feces. Ramsey said the hard part of the process now is finding owners who are prepared to help the dogs in their rehabilitation.

“We always try to pair them up with the right home,” Ramsey said. “The potential adopters, they need to be able to take care of them medically. Some of them do have some medical issues so they would have to be able to take that responsibility on.”

Two families in the area adopted dogs from the hoarding case. WTAJ spoke to the families about how the dogs were recovering and about what conditions were like inside the home.

Tune in to WTAJ News tonight at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. for continuing coverage of this story.