Authorities found dozens of animals at the Dodge Boarding Kennel living in deplorable conditions - and nearly as many dead ones stored in freezers at the Getzville facility.
Maria Faricellie, 53, and Sheila Meli, 49, were each charged with five counts of animal cruelty.
Faricellie owns the kennel and Meli ran the facility.
The five counts come from the number of animal species discovered at the time of the November 7 kennel raid: cats, dogs, reptiles, birds and small exotics.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said it removed 77 live animals and amphibians from the facility.
The SPCA said it also discovered 72 dead animals in freezers, some of which were raccoons, rabbits, sugar gliders, guinea pigs and turtles.
WIVB reported last month that the animals were in bags with labels on them.
Officials said many of the cats and dogs were malnourished and had matted hair.
A turtle showed 'shell rot', and there was a 'severely underweight chinchilla,' the SPCA said. The animal's overgrown teeth may have hindered its ability to eat.
The SPCA said the raid took place after officials earlier went to the property on October 27, October 28 and November 4 and observed poor conditions, including the smell of urine.
Both the Amherst Police Department and New York's Department of Environmental Conservation were involved in the raid, Buffalo News reported.
The charges against Faricellie and Meli were served Friday afternoon by peace officer Aaron Kandefer, SPCA spokeswoman Gina Browning said in a release.
The two women are due in court next month, Browning said.
Browning told Buffalo News that the six live amphibians went to New York's Department of Conservation since the creatures are not legally pets. The other animals stayed at the Tonawanda SPCA.
(Daily Mail - Dec 4, 2014)
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