Dog, cats rescued from Greensburg home; warrants issued for illegal tenants

Apr. 20—A dog and two cats were rescued from a Greensburg home last month after city police said two illegal tenants were kicked out and left the animals behind, according to court papers.

The Australian cattle dog was found in a crate that was too small for the canine to lay down, police said. One of the felines had to have a leg amputated.

Anthony M. Atkins, 20, and Danielle M. Toporzycki, 22, are charged with conspiracy, aggravated cruelty to animals and related offenses.

The owner of a Wood Street property contacted police March 29 after finding the animals inside the rental unit. Atkins and Toporzycki packed up their belongings after being ordered by the owner to leave, according to court papers.

Police said the dog was found in the basement. The two cats were found lying outside the basement door. Neither were moving or responsive and one had a broken leg, according to court papers. They were taken to a veterinarian and both were determined to have head wounds. Neighbors reported hearing noises of an animal in distress overnight.

The cats still have balance issues and struggle to walk, eat, drink and groom themselves, police said.

Atkins told investigators that when he left, the animals were uninjured and in the basement. He and Toporzycki departed for Shippensburg and have not showed concern or interest in them since leaving, according to court papers.

They claimed that the cats' injuries were related to a dog attack, but two veterinarians refuted that, police said.

Warrants have been issued for their arrest.

Court papers did not indicate who is caring for the animals at this time.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .