Demand Full Prosecution for Machete Attack on Dog Shadow in West Hazleton

My name is Eric, and I run I Love Every Dog. I'm asking Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce to prosecute two West Hazleton residents to the fullest extent of the law after a dog named Shadow was struck with a machete and left with a severe laceration across his torso.

Police say the attack happened on July 31, 2026. Shadow was rushed to a local animal hospital for emergency treatment. Two people now face charges: Seth Michael Ponstingl, who is charged with felony aggravated cruelty to animals, and Anna Catherine Ziegler, who faces six misdemeanor neglect counts after police say she failed to seek medical care for Shadow once he was hurt. Ziegler also faces two felony charges for endangering the welfare of children who were living in the same home.

Ponstingl was jailed on five thousand dollars bail. Ziegler was released on unsecured bail of fifteen thousand dollars, meaning she does not have to pay anything unless she skips court. That is not good enough for someone accused of watching an injured dog suffer without care while children were in the house.

Shadow survived, but he shouldn't have had to. A machete attack on a helpless animal is not a lapse in judgment, it's violence, and the adults responsible for the home he lived in need to answer for it in full.

I'm asking District Attorney Sanguedolce to pursue the maximum available charges against both defendants, oppose any plea deal that reduces Ponstingl's felony cruelty charge, and make sure Ziegler is held fully accountable for both the neglect of Shadow and the endangerment of the children in her care. Dogs like Shadow can't speak up for themselves in court. We have to speak for them.