Puppy mill - 56 dogs seized
East Northport, NY (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, May 6, 2008
County: Suffolk
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 6 files available
Alleged: Irene Monroig
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
Dozens of dogs were removed from a suspected East Northport puppy mill Tuesday by police and firefighters wearing face masks and air tanks.
The dogs, most in small cages, were filthy, scared and living in a house filled with foul air, said Roy Gross, chief of the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Many of the dogs were carried to a mobile animal hospital outside the house at 36 Wicks Road as police investigated.
Irene Monroig, 66, faces misdemeanor animal cruelty charges, Gross said. If convicted, Monroig faces a year in prison, a $1,000 fine or both, he said. She could face other charges pending further investigation, he said.
"I'm not saying it is a puppy mill," he said. "But we will investigate it to see if it is a puppy mill."
Fifty-six dogs, including seven puppies, were removed from the house after an anonymous complaint to the Town of Huntington, Gross said. The dogs were mostly small breeds like poodles and shih tzus. Two baby squirrels and a parrot also were taken.
Feces, urine and moldy food surrounded the animals, the SPCA said. Before the animals were removed, the Commack Fire Department aerated the house, which Gross said was "like a hellhole."
Gross said Monroig signed the animals over to the SPCA, which took them to the Huntington animal shelter.
Vanity plates on a Lexus SUV parked in the driveway read "PUPPY 4U." Records list the home's occupant as Irene Hohwiesner, 66.
A woman who left the house refused to speak as she ducked past journalists and went into a neighbor's house.
Neighbors said they noticed a foul odor coming from Monroig's house, and a complaint was filed with the town at least once when the dogs got loose in the neighborhood.
Noreen Driscoll, whose property abuts Monroig's, said dogs from Monroig's house sometimes got into her yard through a hole in the fence. The dogs also barked constantly when they were outside, she said.
Monroig was a nice woman, but "we thought she was odd," Driscoll said.
Another neighbor, Cindy Sorgenfrei, of South Haven Drive, defended Monroig, calling the investigation a "witch hunt."
Monroig is a veterinarian who grooms dogs at the house, said Sorgenfrei, who said they have been neighbors for 40 years.
"It's never bothered me," she said of the dogs.
New York State records do not list Monroig as a licensed veterinarian.
Gross said the dogs will be examined by veterinarians and spayed and neutered before being made available for adoption. Adoption applications are at suffolkspca.org.
He said the dogs appear to be purebreds. "We're already getting tons of phone calls," Gross said. "I feel that all these animals will make good pets."
Case UpdatesAn East Northport woman who officials said lived amid filth and 56 dogs but claimed her efforts were an animal rescue endeavor, was charged yesterday with 56 counts of animal cruelty.
Irene Monroig, 66, surrendered at the Suffolk County District Attorney's office and was immediately released, pending her appearance today in First District Court, Central Islip.
Monroig and her attorney have been involved in an animal care and custody dispute against Suffolk County and the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals since earlier this month.
Then, an anonymous call led authorities to her home on Wicks Road in East Northport where officials said they found the dogs, along with two squirrels and a parrot living under "deplorable" conditions.
After news reports about the incident, there were more than 1,000 inquiries about the animals and speculation the dogs would be adopted within a week. But Monroig, with her attorney Eric Naiburg, sought a restraining order preventing the adoption. Monroig, Naiburg and county officials agreed the animals would not immediately be placed in permanent homes while court proceedings continued. | Source: NY Newsday - May 20, 2008
Update posted on May 21, 2008 - 10:15AM |
Irene Monroig, an American Kennel Club customer since 1974, was inspected by the club in 1995 and 2000 and found to be in compliance. But she was suspended in 2001 for five years for what the club called "DNA exclusions," meaning her record-keeping was not accurate, a club spokeswoman said.
Monroig was reinstated in 2006 after paying a $1,000 fine. She has not registered any litters with the club since then.
Her club privileges are on hold pending the outcome of the Suffolk case. If found guilty, another suspension, a fine or both will be imposed, the spokeswoman said. | Source: NY Newsday - May 6, 2008
Update posted on May 21, 2008 - 10:14AM |
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