A Butler Township man is facing animal abuse charges after police found a deceased dog and another dog that appeared malnourished inside his house, which the man himself described as being in “complete disarray,” according to charges filed Thursday, Oct. 1.

Eric Todd Dobson, 49, was charged by Butler Township police with two misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals following the Sept. 25 discovery of the animals inside the Arlington Avenue house.

Police said they received a report on Sept. 25, requesting a wellness check for Dobson’s dogs. Police said they were told Dobson’s 16-year-old black Labrador Retriever had died within approximately the last two weeks. Police were told the dog as looking “extremely thin and malnourished” at the time.

Police said the report indicated Dobson has a white German Shepherd that also appeared emaciated and was not being provided with adequate food and water to his knowledge. The criminal complaint indicated the person who reported the incident feared that the German Shepherd had been eating the deceased Labrador Retriever and showed police photos of the state of the black lab.

When police contacted Dobson, he said he had not been inside his house for about three days, according to charging documents. Dobson told police the house was in “complete disarray,” the charging documents stated.

Police executed a search warrant on the house the same day and entered through an unlocked back door. Police said before opening the door, they could smell an “extremely overwhelming” odor of feces.

Police found feces and garbage scattered throughout the kitchen and dining room. The laminate wood floor of the dining room also appeared warped due to the amount of urine on the floor.

The German Shepherd was found appearing “very thin” with its backbone and rib cage visible and a foul-looking coat.

Police also found the deceased black lab farther into the home. Police said the dog was “completely mangled” with flesh peeled away and its skull visible.

The dogs had a bucket of water, but it was yellow with flies throughout, according to charging documents. Two empty food bowls were also found in the home. Police found a mostly full bag of dog food outside.

Dobson’s preliminary hearing has not been scheduled.