YOUNGSTOWN — A dog was found dead Tuesday night under bizarre circumstances on Irma Avenue on Youngstown’s South Side near Struthers.

Police responded to the home for a dead animal and found a deceased, large pit bull hanging off the railing of the front porch.

Officers knocked on doors and windows of the home, but no one responded. They could hear another dog barking inside the house, the report states.

The dog was suspended around its waist by a dog tie-out / leash, which pulled the dog’s neck tight enough to strangle it, the report states. There was a water bowl on the porch, but there was no water in it, the report notes.

The mail in the mailbox was piled up, and the porch light was illuminated. A person told police he or she saw two people sitting on the porch two days earlier, and the dog was at that time “running around.”

Because of the type of call and the extreme heat, Animal Charity of Ohio in Mahoning County was contacted to help with the deceased dog and the one inside the house.

An officer spoke with a neighbor, who showed police the video from their Ring doorbell. It showed that between 10 and 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, the resident of the home where the dog died left the home in a car, leaving the dog chained to the front porch.

About 2:30 p.m., the dog was still active. But between 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., the dog “got tangled up and died,” the report states.

After Animal Charity arrived, its agents removed the deceased dog.

Officers and Animal Charity knocked on the home’s Ring doorbell and windows, and the dog inside responded with barking. The homeowner did not respond. Because the dog inside was not apparently in immediate danger, arrangements were made to check on the dog inside later. The report does not indicate whether police were involved in the matter after that.

The Facebook page for Animal Charity of Ohio, which is located in Boardman, mentioned the Irma Avenue episode, saying the dog “died after hanging himself from the porch railing — likely in a desperate attempt to find water or relief from the blistering heat.”

It added, “We’re shattered. We’re angry. We’re exhausted. But most of all we’re motivated to fight harder.” It stated that “The city of Youngstown must come together. These animals are being failed over and over again.”

FOUR DEAD DOGS

The same Tuesday morning post states that four dogs had died — “lost in pain, fear and neglect” — in the last 24 hours. “This is not normal. This is a crisis,” it stated.

The post provided the Humane Society phone number to call to report animal abuse — 330-788-1064 — and an email address — acohumanedepartment@gmail.com.

It urged people to “send detailed information, including any observations or evidence you may have.”

Another post from Tuesday detailed the death from heatstroke of a dog on Youngstown’s North Side “after being left outside without shelter — tied up in the blazing sun.”

It states that “The owner left her senior companion tied up in the driveway, exposed to extreme temperatures while she went to the store. When she returned, it was too late. The dog had already passed away.”

The dog’s temperature when found was 107.6, the maximum temperature the thermometer could measure. “An investigation is ongoing, and charges are pending,” the post states.