Two emaciated dogs found in the trash, owner sought for questioning

Posted at: 06/30/2010 10:13 AM | Updated at: 06/30/2010 9:13 PM
By: Pat McGonigle | WHEC.com

Police need your help to find the woman accused of abusing her pets in the city of Rochester.

Two starving puppies were found in trash cans on a city street barely alive. One was found on Bay Street and another was around the corner on Sander Street.

Sixteen-year-old Junior Peavy says he’ll never forget it. He walked by a garbage bin on Saturday and heard something strange. “It sounded like the dog was like groaning.”

Peavy looked inside and saw a heart-breaking image – an emaciated one-year-old pit bull terrier covered with trash and the lid closed. Peavy says, “I thought it was gonna die because when they took it out it was like, you could see all the bones and stuff."

Before Peavy made that discovery and called 911, investigators found another abused six-month-old pit bull terrier, this one in a dumpster, on nearby Bay Street.

Neighbors we talked to say they're sickened.

Kisha Howard said what a lot of people are saying. “If she didn't want to keep the dogs, then she should have just called the pound to come pick them up and do whatever."

"She” according to police is 31-year-old Yvette Solomon of Sander Street. Police are looking for her tonight. She's facing several charges, one of them a felony.

Right now, the pit bulls are being fed and cared for at Lollypop Farm. The emaciated dogs are in critical but stable condition. Sadly, veterinarians say it's a level of neglect that's rare but not unprecedented.

Richard Gerbasi of Lollypop Farm said, “I don't think any rational individual could comprehend why someone would do this. I suspect on some level, that she's not mentally stable."

Lollypop Farm hopes to give Junior Peavy an award for doing the right thing.

Peavy asked, “Who would do this to a dog? It hurt me because I don't like seeing animals hurt."

Those with information to help locate Yvette Solomon are urged to call 223-6500 or 911.

The felony cruelty offense carries a penalty of up to two years in jail and/or a $2,000 fine.  The misdemeanor abandonment charge can lead to a possible sentence of one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.

Animal cruelty calls should be reported to the Humane Society's Animal Cruelty Hotline at (585) 223-6500 or 9-1-1.  Calls are treated confidentially.

For more Rochester, N.Y. news go to our website www.whec.com.

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