The Greene County Sheriff’s Office removed 39 German shepherds Feb. 9 from two houses occupied by Dawn Verdeschi, of Durham. The dogs were found living in and covered with feces and urine in crates with 2 inches of waste on the bottom, according to police.
The stench was so bad that investigators and officers had to open all the windows and doors to breathe, according to the Humane Society.
While four of the dogs have been adopted, Humane Society investigator Ron Perez said Verdeschi has not relinquished ownership of the dogs, which has prevented the other dogs from being adopted.
“The remaining 35 dogs are still at the new [Humane Society] facility,” he said Friday.
The dogs are now being housed at the new Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA shelter in Greenport that sits adjacent to the current shelter. The new shelter has not yet officially been opened, but is being used for the rescued shepherds, he said.
“We wanted to open at the end of the month but that will be delayed until we can clear the German shepherds out, so we are running two shelters right now,” Perez said.
Verdeschi kept the dogs at a home she rented at 596 Morrison Road in Durham, and a house at 221 Hervey Sunside Road co-owned by Christopher Cella, who police are still looking for to question. Police said they were tipped off to the plight of the dogs by an anonymous caller.
Some of the dogs were found to be extremely emaciated, dehydrated and unfed. Some dogs were also being kept outside, allegedly without heat or shelter. One male dog had a wound to the face that had gone untreated for months and due to the unsanitary conditions, the infection made its way into the bones, Perez said.
The dog will likely require another costly surgery, Perez said. The cost of surgeries and caring for the dogs has already exceeded $10,000, and Perez said the society is asking the public for donations to help offset the costs.
Verdeschi was arraigned in Durham Town Court charged with one count of failure to provide sustenance, an unclassified misdemeanor. She was remanded to Greene County Jail on $1,500 cash bail or $3,000 bail bond. She was not not in custody at the jail as of Friday evening.
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| House of horrors |
Verdeschi was scheduled to appear in Durham Town Court at a later date. She could face further charges, Perez said. Custody of the dogs will be determined in Durham Town Court, Perez said.
Donations to the Columbia Greene Humane Society/SPCA can be made by phone at 518-828-6044, check by mail to 125 Humane Society Road, Hudson, N.Y. 12534 or online via PayPal. Go to www.cghs.org for more information on how to donate.
(Register Star - Feb 23, 2014)
Original Info:
Deborah Albanese walked into a shocking scene when she checked on her rental property over the weekend. She said she was disgusted to discover dozens of dogs underneath garbage.
“You didn’t even know where a dog was until it started to bark,” she said. “My eyes started to water. That’s how bad the smell is.”
The Greene County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant Sunday at the house at 596 Morrison Rd. and began a rescue and investigation into the actions of Verdeschi.
“I can’t close my eyes to that,” Albanese continued. “I had to call the police. I called 911.”
“Really, in my 30-year career in law enforcement, this is the worst animal abuse case I’ve seen,” Greene County Sheriff Greg Seeley said. “There was cages on top of cages with dogs in each of the cages. There was feces on top of the dogs that was running down.”
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