A stray pit bull spotted wandering highways for days led deputies to charge two Geneva residents with animal abandonment.
LaToyia Soler, 34, and Michael Russell, 36, were charged after a 2-to-3-year-old red pit bull named Ivy was found emaciated and alone in Phelps in August.
On August 12, just before 7 a.m., the Ontario County Humane Society and sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of a loose dog on Johnson Road. Ivy had been seen running from people for days across several rural roads, including County Road 6, County Road 23, and McIvor Road. Local residents helped track her, and after ten days, she was finally caught in a humane trap.
Shelter staff said Ivy was at least 20 pounds underweight and had likely been on her own for a while. A veterinarian and shelter vet tech monitored her recovery.
Investigators later learned that Soler and Russell had owned Ivy but left her behind when they moved. They admitted they couldn’t take the dog with them and had failed to rehome her. Officials said neither of them tried to find Ivy once she went missing.
On October 12, the pair were formally charged and given court appearance tickets in Hopewell Town Court. They both signed over legal ownership of Ivy to the Ontario County Humane Society.
Ivy is now gaining weight, and once she’s medically cleared, she’ll be available for adoption.
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