Once inside, they found about 60 neglected cats, seven abused dogs and six dead felines, said Commander Jack Vaccaro, a spokesman for the Lighthouse Point Police Department.
"The home is in horrific, dirty conditions," Vaccaro said. "There was two inches of built up feces on the floor with urine everywhere."
Flies covered the inside of a front window and the overbearing stench of animal feces and urine could be smelled from the front yard when investigators first visited earlier in the week to inquire about the well-being of the animals living there.
The homeowner refused to let them in, Vaccaro said.
By early afternoon animals were still being removed from the filthy residence, Vaccaro said.
"Initial assessment of the animals revealed signs of neglect and ongoing animal cruelty," Vaccaro said. The pets will be examined and treated by licensed professionals, he said.
Criminal charges are pending against the homeowner, Linda Giaccio, 69, Vaccaro said.
"Linda Giaccio has an extensive past history in Lighthouse Point and other cities in Broward County of hoarding numerous animals causing community concerns relating to public health and animal abuse," Vaccaro said.
Court records show Giaccio has been fined numerous times since 2009 for feeding feral animals in Pompano Beach.
Giaccio and her herd of cats and canines came onto police radar Monday when one of her dogs escaped from her backyard and attacked another dog that was being walked on a leash by its owner, Vaccaro said.
A veterinarian who tended to Giaccio's escaped dog "found signs of severe emaciation and neglect," Vaccaro said.
When investigators visited to inquire about the dog-bite incident, Giaccio turned them away. "The stench of animal odor inside of this residence was so strong it could be detected outside in the front yard," Vaccaro said.
He said when Giaccio was evicted from a home in Hollywood three weeks ago, she was seen leaving the property in a van loaded with about 60 cats and dogs.
(Sun Sentinel - Sept 2, 2016)
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