CONNECTICUT -- A Stamford woman is facing four counts of cruelty to animals after two adult English sheepdogs were found tethered to a tree and two puppies were found in poor condition in a cage at her property, police said.
Susan Tandet, 55, of 66 Westview Lane, turned herself in Thursday after learning there was an arrest warrant for her.
Police were called to the Westview Lane residence at 1 a.m. on Aug. 28 after an anonymous call about dogs barking.
When police arrived they discovered the two adult dogs tied to a tree and the seven-week old puppies in what Lt. Nick Montagnese described as a dirty outdoor pen. He said the dogs' fur was matted and that the bowls in the pen may have had feces in them.
The four dogs were taken to the animal hospital to be examined. The two adults were returned to Tandet but the two puppies were held after it was discovered one had diarrhea, pneumonia and dehydration while the second puppy had diarrhea, Montagnese said.
Police continue to have custody of the two puppies until a court makes a determination whether they should return to their owner or not, Montagnese.
Bond was set at $20,000 for Tandet.
In 2010, the Daily Voice reported that Tandet and her sister Debra Tandet, who were both 49 at the time, were allegedly seen on surveillance video stealing vitamin supplements from Schulhoff Animal Hospital on Post Road East.
According to the state's judicial website, Susan Tandet was charged with sixth-degree larceny earlier this year. In May, after she pleaded "nolo contendere" or no contest to the charge. She was found guilty and given a 90-day suspended sentence and placed on probation for one year. According to the website, she was also charged with first-degree violation of probation on Thursday.
In 2012 the Stamford Advocate reported that a fire broke out at the 66 Westview Lane home where they both lived. Susan Tandet told firefighters she had been smoking around midnight when she fell asleep with a lit cigarette in an ashtray on the bed, according to the story.
(Ridgefield Daily Voice - Dec 17, 2016)
