[ad_1]
A New Jersey woman was arrested after investigators found 44 dead dogs in plastic bags placed inside freezers and 130 other dogs living in "deplorable and inhumane conditions," police said on Wednesday. of the state.
Donna Roberts, 65, of Oakshade Road in Shamong County, faces charges of animal cruelty after state police investigators and inspectors from the US Department of Health's Department of Health. Burlington County responded to his home Tuesday for an inspection.
The overwhelming smell of animal excrement and ammonia was so strong in Roberts' house that many of the investigators had their heads spinning and became nauseous, state police said. A subsequent search of the house revealed that 130 live dogs and 44 dead animals were packed in plastic bags and kept in the freezer throughout the house of horror, state police said.
Four of the dogs were in such bad shape that they had to be rushed to a veterinary clinic. The other dogs were treated at the scene by animal welfare officers, the police said.
"Although the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 44 dogs found in plastic bags in freezers remain under investigation, the deplorable and inhuman living conditions that the rescued dogs have had to endure are tragic," said Colonel Patrick Callahan of the NJ State Police. declaration.
Burlington County Attorney Scott Coffina said his office had obtained a search warrant for Mr. Roberts' home after concerns had been expressed about the welfare of the animals on the property as a result the recent adoption of an ordinance on the housing of animals.
"We are dismayed by the appalling conditions these dogs have been subjected to. As a result, I have allowed lawsuits against the owner, Donna Roberts. "
Roberts, accused of animal cruelty, was released pending trial date, police said.
By phone, Roberts claimed that the puppies were still stillborn and that she had forgotten the dead animals after putting them in bags and keeping them in her freezer seven years ago.
"I forgot everything about them, they were in the cellar," Roberts said. "They were in a freezer, and that's what the breeders do when dogs die. I have forgotten everything about them. They were born dead and I did not kill them. They make a big deal out of nothing. "
Roberts said that she and her boyfriend had stocked the animals to send them to a veterinarian in Alabama so that they would be subjected to an autopsy, but that the dead animals in her basement he had simply escaped his mind. Her boyfriend, whom she refused to identify, died last year of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, she said.
Roberts said she has bred a variety of breeds, including coonhounds, Labradors, Boston Terrier mixes and Havanese, as well as poodles, boxers and West Highland white terriers.
Her home was inspected following the adoption of an ordinance in Shamong Township restricting to 14 the number of dogs in a private residence, she said.
"Oh, most definitely," Roberts said when asked if she was considering defending herself. "I did not do anything wrong."
Source link
