“It was probably the worst hoarding situation in my almost 10 years of doing animal control work that I’ve encountered, and obviously one of the most disturbing,” said Michelle Lafleche. “These animals were obviously suffering. I was beyond shocked.”
Lafleche said 21 dogs — one of them dead — five cats and four birds were removed from a two-bedroom house on Cody Street. Most, she said, were locked in cages and had no access to food or water even in the midst of a heat wave.
Police have arrested the building’s owner, Beatrice Nielsen, 50, of Auburn, and charged her with 29 counts of animal cruelty. Nielsen pleaded not guilty yesterday in Dudley District Court and was released on bail.
PRESS RELEASE: WEBSTER POLICE DEPARTMENT
Attempts to reach Nielsen yesterday were unsuccessful.
Lafleche said the evacuation of the animals began at 5 p.m. Monday and did not clear until just before 4 a.m. yesterday. One of the dogs rescued, a Doberman pinscher, is believed to be 16 years old, she said.
“We have a dog that can barely get up. We have some dogs with discharge from their eyes, older dogs ... We have cats that are terribly skinny,” Lafleche said. “It’s very concerning to us. They obviously were living in horrid conditions. Right now our main focus is getting them the medical attention they need.”
Nielsen is due back in court Sept. 17 for a pretrial hearing.
(Boston Herald - Aug 19, 2015)
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