Animal rescue workers were shocked to discover more than 40 dogs in a filthy, crammed New York apartment, in what they said was one of the most ‘heartbreaking’ animal neglect cases they had ever seen.
‘They’ve likely never touched grass, walked on a leash, or met a stranger,’ said Animal Care Centers of NYC Director of Shelter Medicine Biana Tamimi.
Rescuers from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Animal Care Centers of NYC went to the home in Forest Hills, Queens last Thursday after receiving reports that the owner had been evicted from the property and had to surrender his pets.
When they arrived at the seventh floor apartment, they found 48 dogs and puppies, all Belgian Malinois, living in deplorable conditions.
Some were reportedly stuffed into closets and cupboards or crammed into small spaces with no fresh air or sunlight, the ACC said.
Images shared by the animal shelter show about a dozen dogs squeezed into a tiny hallway.
Three of the dogs had to be euthanised, according to officials, and rescue workers spent two days removing the dogs from the home.
‘These dogs have reportedly lived in total confinement for their entire lives,’ said Tara Mercado, ACC’s director of behavior and shelter operations. ‘We found full-grown Malinois hidden in cabinets and crammed behind furniture.’
More than 40 dogswere discovered in a filthy, crammed New York apartment last week
Rescuers went to the home in Forest Hills, Queens last Thursday after receiving reports that the owner had been evicted from the property
Some were reportedly stuffed into closets and cupboards or crammed into small spaces with no fresh air or sunlight
Neighbours – who were unaware that there were so many dogs living in the property – said that the entire floor always had a bad smell and that the owner, who has not been named, would regularly toss animal faeces off his balcony.
‘We always wondered, ‘Why does it smell so bad,’ one neighbour told the New York Post.
‘We all assumed there were two or three dogs in there, we would never have imagined that they were that many, we never saw them ever, anywhere,’ he added.
Another neighbour claimed that she could always hear barking in the building and noted that her mother had seen the owner kick one of his pets.
The owner is said to have worked at airport security and he was known to have a sniffing dog.
Neighbours were unaware there were so many dogs living at the property, but said the entire floor always had a bad smell
The ACC says many of the dogs will require long-term care before they are ready to be adopted
Neighbours claimed the dogs’ owner would toss their faeces off the balcony
Since their rescue, the ACC has issued an update on the dogs’ condition.
Images show the nervous pups looking confused as they wait in kennels to be treated by vets.
The ACC says many of the dogs will require long-term care before they are ready to be adopted because they are believed to have had little socialization with humans.
The heartbreaking animal neglect case comes after a British dog walker was discovered to have kept 11 pets in ‘deplorable’ conditions.
Dog walker Hannah Critchlow kept the animals in a house described as being one of the worst ever seen by RSPCA officers.
Pictures show the floors inside the property, on Bourne Street, Peterlee, County Durham, completely covered in excrement and rubbish.
An RSPCA officer described having to hold her breath because she could not stand staying in the ‘thick smell’ in the rooms.
Two of the dogs were staying there while their owners were on holiday while others were being fostered by her on behalf of an animal charity.
Some were left so ill after staying with her that they required treatment from a vet.
Critchlow, 30, who a ran a business called UpDog Walking, Training & Behaviour, has now been banned from keeping animals for 12 months.
