PITTSBURGH — A Pennsylvania man has been found guilty of starving a pit bull until it weighed 14 pounds.

Twenty-year-old Gerald Walker Jr., of Wilkinsburg, was convicted of misdemeanor animal cruelty by a Pittsburgh judge on Thursday after a non-jury trial. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation and must pay a $1,000 fine.

Walker also is barred from owning or taking care of any animals.

Western Pennsylvania Humane Society police officer Ed Mitchell and Pittsburgh police seized the dog in January after receiving a tip that the dog was getting thin.

Walker’s attorney says his client couldn’t always afford food for the dog.