77 dogs seized from squalor, 13 more dead
Oxford, NY (US)

Incident Date: Sunday, Oct 12, 2008
County: Chenango

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Steven Fong

Chenango County sheriff's deputies rescued 77 live dogs as well as the bodies of 13 others inside a squalid Town of Oxford trailer Sunday, police said Monday.

The owner, Steven Fong, 56, of Brooklyn, has been charged with 77 counts of failure to provide for an impounded animal, a misdemeanor under the state Agriculture and Markets Law, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.

The Chenango County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals helped rescue 76 Pomeranians and one pit bull, said Carol Hedlund, the agency's executive director. Rescuers had to wear breathing masks because of the stench at the feces-splattered, doublewide trailer.

"The conditions were pretty horrific," Hedlund said.

There was no ventilation, said sheriff's Sgt. Tim Urnaitis. Dogs were malnourished, covered with sores and showed evidence of inbreeding.

Deputies received an anonymous tip in recent weeks about the trailer at 145 Williams Road, but were initially unable to get inside to investigate because Fong did not live in the home, Urnaitis said. They eventually obtained a search warrant from Oxford Justice John Weidman and executed it around 9 a.m. Sunday. Fong was not at home Sunday, but came to the sheriff's office on Monday.

Fong was arraigned before Weidman and sent to the Chenango County Jail in lieu of $8,000 bail, Urnaitis said. He was still in the jail Monday night, a jail spokesman said.

According to police, Fong only came to the trailer on weekends to visit the dogs. Deputies are still investigating how long Fong kept the dogs in the trailer.

Hedlund said she hopes the dogs can eventually be adopted once they're deemed healthy.

References

• « NY State Animal Cruelty Map

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