Police: Rock Hill man left puppies chained outside in freezing temperatures

A man was cited for ill treatment of animals after leaving two puppies chained outside in freezing temperatures, according to Rock Hill Police.

An officer on Friday saw two pit bull puppies chained outside of a home on West Main Street, according to a police report released Tuesday. Each puppy was on a logging chain that weighed more than 10 percent of the dog’s weight, which is a violation of a county ordinance.

The officer tried unsuccessfully to make contact with the owner and left notifications that explained the violations and asked the owner to call animal control, police said. The officer later went back to the home because the temperature was 32 degree outside. He had to untangle one of the puppies so it could get inside its dog house.

On Monday, the officer went to the home for a third time to speak with the dogs’ owner but was unsuccessful. He saw the same puppy tangled up in its chain and was sleeping on the ground with frost on her, the report says. When the officer went to his patrol car to call animal control, the dogs’ owner exited the home and was issued a citation for ill treatment of animals.

This story was originally published November 17, 2015 at 11:50 AM with the headline "Police: Rock Hill man left puppies chained outside in freezing temperatures."