An Arizona woman who runs a shelter for special needs dogs has been arrested after 55 dogs were rescued from her home amid rancid conditions – with some euthanized and others found dead and stuffed in freezers.
April Mclaughlin was booked Friday night when police raided her Chandler home to find dozens of dogs living in their own feces without water. The smell was so bad that firefighters were called in with special breathing apparatus to find the poor dog, CBS 5 reported.
During the search, police also found a dead dog stuffed into a refrigerator, which was kept near food for other animals.
The animals were kept indoors as part of the Special Needs Animal Welfare League, the shelter Mclaughlin ran from who faced allegations of neglect and abuse.
April Mclaughlin was arrested Friday after police rescued 55 dogs from her home in Chandler, AZ.3TV / CBS 5
Officers began investigating the matter on September 8, when a veterinary professional called them about the condition of three dogs kept at Mclaughlin’s home.
Chandler police then went to rescue the animal on September 22 but were quickly deterred by a foul smell that greeted them inside the home, prompting a call for the fire department.
“We want to make sure there’s no hazardous smoke going on in the residence with first responders in a very small house, so that’s why they’re being asked to make sure everyone’s safe inside the house,” Chandler Police Sgt. Emma Huenneke told reporters.
Activists posted pictures of rescued animals on fences placed around Mclaughlin’s home. 3TV / CBS 5
Protesters staged a demonstration outside the home the night Mclaughlin was arrested and the dogs were rescued. 3TV / CBS 5
As of Saturday, a total of 55 dogs had been rescued from the house, which has now been condemned, police said. Mclaughlin’s mother was also removed from the dilapidated home.
Officials noted in court records that some of the rescued dogs had barking problems, with some found covered in tarps or in wire crates stacked on top of each other.
Officials say most of the dogs were found in such bad condition that they may have to be euthanized.
Most of the dogs kept in the home are special needs and in such dire condition that police say they will be euthanized.3TV / CBS 5
Mclaughlin has denied the allegations against his shelter, and he told police during an interview that there was nothing wrong with the way he kept dead dogs near food.
Mclaughlin was charged with 110 misdemeanors, including two counts of each alleged animal abuse. He was also charged with one count of abuse of a vulnerable adult.
He is currently being held in the Maricopa County Jail on a $2,500 cash bond.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
