MILAN – Twenty-one Great Danes were rescued from horrific conditions at a home in Milan on Friday. Rescuers told Mid-Hudson News that the hoarding conditions at the home included the skeletons of dead dogs both inside and outside of the house. The dogs were rescued after the Milan Animal Control Officer requested assistance from several agencies, who immediately went into action.
The responding agencies, with Hudson Valley Animal Rescue as the lead agency, included deputies from the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office and New York State Police. The scene was described as one of “disgusting squalor” made worse because the homeowner, a hoard, had died recently, leaving the numerous dogs to fend for themselves.
The home is located in Dutchess County and sources have told Mid-Hudson News that the Dutchess County SPCA (DCSPCA) was aware of the horrific conditions because they had made at least two prior visits to the home that is less than 25 minutes from their office.
The source also said that the DCSPCA did respond to the emergency on Friday by sending relatively new employees to assist in recovering the canines, which were in varied stages of medical emergency. The dogs were being kept for breeding and the sale of the resulting litters. The practice, known as “Backyard Breeding”, results in many health issues for dogs that are purchased by unsuspecting customers.
The rescuers said the conditions inside the home included the floors being covered in several inches of a mixture of fecal matter, mud, and debris. Several canine skeletons were also found among the 21 dogs who had never been socialized and were “very timid”, requiring the use of catch poles to lasso the frightened dogs. In addition to the skeletons, carcasses of recently deceased Great Danes were found on the floor, which had become their final resting place.
Adam Saunders, a certified NYS Human Law Investigator with more than 15 years of experience and 4,000 investigations,…
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