Police arrest a Westerlo woman after hundreds of animals are found living in deplorable conditions in her home. Time Warner Cable News' Emily DeFeciani is in Westerlo with the details.
Brad Shear of the Mohawk-Hudson Humane Society was blunt when describing the condition of one dog.
"There is a mother who has three legs and on the fourth leg there is a stump where her paw should be," Shear said.
Now her seven tiny puppies will be able to grow in a better environment. Mom and her litter were rescued just one day after birth, along with more than 200 other animals.
"It's really a terrible situation for all of these animals," Shear said. "Over 100 animals were suffering, we don't know for how long. It's just a terrible incident for those animals and it's really straining our resources at the humane society."
Police and the humane society removed dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, and goats from a home on Lobdell Mill Road in the town of Westerlo following an anonymous complaint that the animals weren't being properly housed and fed.
"We didn't find sufficient food and water on the property," Shear said. "These dogs appeared to be living in crates, barely seeing any sunlight or getting out of those crates."
The homeowner, 56-year-old Nancy Wright, has been charged with animal cruelty. Albany County Sheriff's represenatives say living conditions inside were unbearable due to the smell, but with winter weather fast approaching, the humane society says the outside would soon have been worse.
"Some of those animals are climatized to being outdoors," Shear said, "but in the housing they were in, they didn't have enough opportunity to get into shelter."
Shear says the animals will be up for adoption after health evaluations. He encourages people to consider giving them a better life, saying after what they've been through, they really just need love.
"These animals have gone through a very difficult time," he continued, "but most of them, though they're scared right now, have been friendly and kind to people. They'll appreciate just being out in fresh air and being cared for properly. These are going to be great pets for somebody they just need some time because they've been through a lot of stress."