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Case #9389 Rating: 2.8 out of 5
Hoarding 129 dogs
Fairfield, CT (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Jul 27, 2006
County: Fairfield
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 1 files available
Defendant/Suspect: Robbin D'Urso
Case Updates: 12 update(s) available
All morning on July 27, police and animal control officers have been removing animals from a home on Eastfield Drive in Fairfield.
Police say they have received nearly 46 complaints about the home in the past five years. There were about 70 dogs in the home, reportedly living in filth and feces. Police have never been allowed in the home to inspect; today they produced a court order.
Animal control departments from at least six surrounding communities have been called to assist with removing the animals.
The home's owner is Robin D'Orso. There are reports that a child also lived in the home.
Case UpdatesA Connecticut woman with a history of animal abuse pleaded guilty to child abuse charges.
Robbin D'Urso, 49, of New Milford pleaded guilty to reduced charges -- three counts of reckless endangerment -- and faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison at her sentencing hearing scheduled for next month, the (Bridgeport) Connecticut Post reported Wednesday.
D'Urso, a former self-identified animal rights activist formerly of Fairfield was accused of molesting her three sons and forcibly keeping them in dog cages.
She was arrested Sept. 29, 2009, and charged with attempted third-degree sexual assault and seven counts of risk of injury to a minor after her son, then 14, told police his mother had molested him and two younger brothers.
The son's statement occurred after he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital following an emotional breakdown, police said.
The boy's brothers, then ages 10 and 12, spoke independently to a Center for Women & Families forensic interviewer, the newspaper said.
D'Urso rescued abused dogs from all over the country and sold them from her house in Fairfield. In 2006, she made national news when police raided her house and found more than 130 caged dogs, the Post reported.
D'Urso pleaded guilty to charges of animal cruelty and was put on probation, but was arrested in 2007 for again having dogs in her house in violation of the terms of her probation.
She was fined $1,500 and was kept on probation, but again had dogs at home and was sentenced to 60 days in prison. | Source: upi.com - Dec 16, 2010
Update posted on Dec 16, 2010 - 7:30PM |
Self-proclaimed animal rescuer Robbin D'Urso lost an 11th-hour appeal and was sentenced today to 60 days in prison for violating probation on an animal cruelty conviction.
D'Urso, a Fairfield resident, stuck her hands behind her back to be handcuffed and was led away by judicial marshals from Superior Court.
Judge Patrick Carroll denied a motion for a stay in sentencing by D'Urso's lawyer, Robert Lacobelle, her third since the case began. Lacobelle, hired just before today's hearing, claimed his client's mind had been addled by medications she was taking for depression when she agreed, as advised by another lawyer, to plead guilty to violating her probation.
D'Urso pleaded guilty last year to five counts of cruelty to animals for having more than 100 caged dogs packed into her house.
Assistant State's Attorney Brian Kennedy vigorously opposed the stay.
Carroll ruled the motion was another attempt by D'Urso to "circumvent" his ruling and sentenced her to five years, suspended after 60 days served, and followed by two years probation.
The judge re-emphasized that during her probation D'Urso is not to have any animals at her Eastfield Avenue home. And, he added, if she follows through on her plans to sell the house the new owners will not be allowed to have more than two dogs for the remainder of D'Urso's probation.
Carroll admitted the last order is very unusual, but explained: "It is the only way I can have control over Miss D'Urso. I've never fashioned an order like that, but I have to restrain her conduct because earlier attempts have been unsuccessful."
Lacobelle maintained the order regarding the sale of D'Urso's house is unconstitutional. | Source: The Connecticut Post - Aug 31, 2007
Update posted on Aug 31, 2007 - 5:30PM |
Self-proclaimed animal rescuer Robbin D'Urso was arrested Tuesday for a third time.
D'Urso was charged with violating probation for failing to notify her probation officer that she had moved out of her Eastfield Drive home, where she housed more than 100 dogs before her arrest last year.
But D'Urso, 45, claimed the latest arrest is all a misunderstanding, and that the warrant will be vacated when she reports July 17 to Superior Court. She is free on $30,000 bond.
"I am not there [Eastfield Drive] and I have not been living there since May 1. I now live in upstate Connecticut," D'Urso said.
D'Urso said her lawyer told Judge Patrick Carroll, who had imposed her sentence, that she had moved and she also sent two certified letters to her probation officer stating she had moved.
"I wrote that I have not been living there since [May 1] and that the house is being leased to tenants with animals," she said. "This just goes to show you how the system works."
D'Urso would not reveal her current address, claiming that she is being stalked by her former husband.
D'Urso pleaded guilty last Oct. 26 to five counts of cruelty to animals after police said they found more than 130 dogs jammed in cages inside her home. Carroll sentenced her to a suspended five-year term and three years probation.
As a condition of the probation, the judge ordered her not to have any animals.
But D'Urso was arrested April 26 for violating her probation after witnesses said she had two pitbulls at the Eastfield Drive home.
According to state probation officials, they received information March 22 that D'Urso had two pitbulls at her home.
Carroll fined her $1,500, but allowed her to avoid prison and remain on probation.
According to the latest arrest warrant affidavit, probation officers received a phone call June 8 that a Connecticut Post reporter came to D'Urso's residence on Eastfield Drive to interview a man.
The man was later identified in the Post as Martin Lopow, who said he plans to continue D'Urso's animal rescue work there.
A probation officer who went to the home saw Lopow in the garage and two dogs sitting in a car.
Lopow told the probation officer that D'Urso no longer lives on Eastfield Drive and that he did not know where she lives, the affidavit states.
The affidavit continues that D'Urso violated her probation by failing to keep her probation officer informed of her whereabouts and making her residence available for random searches to confirm there are no animals on her property. | Source: Connecticut Post - July 6, 2007
Update posted on Jul 6, 2007 - 5:07PM |
Self-proclaimed animal rescuer Robbin D'Urso apparently thought a Superior Court judge was barking up the wrong tree when he ordered that she take no more animals into her home after police found nearly 130 dogs crammed into cages all over her property last year.
On Thursday, the 45-year-old Fairfield woman was arrested for violating her probation after witnesses said she had two pit bulls at her home.
D'Urso surrendered Thursday at Superior Court after being told there was a warrant for her arrest. She later pleaded not guilty to the probation violation before Judge Earl Richards.
The judge continued the case to May 17. D'Urso is free after posting a $5,000 bond.
On Oct. 25, 2006, D'Urso pleaded guilty to five counts of cruelty to animals and was sentenced by Judge Patrick Carroll to a suspended five-year term and three years of probation.
As a condition of the probation, the judge ordered her not to have any animals in her care.
"That means no animals of family members, no watching other people's animals, no animals of any kind,'' the judge stressed.
"No exceptions."
However, according to state probation officials, they received information March 22 that D'Urso had two pit bulls at her Eastfield Drive home.
Probation officers said they went to D'Urso's home the following day, and while they did not see any dogs, they said there was a black cat there the entire time of their visit.
D'Urso's conviction followed a July 27, 2006, police raid on her home, where they found more than 100 dogs in cages piled on top of each other. Police said D'Urso had taken in the dogs from animal shelters all over the country. Three puppies and one rabbit taken from D'Urso's home died, and three other puppies had to be euthanized because of poor health. The town of Fairfield later claimed it had spent more than $80,000 caring for the dogs taken from D'Urso. But Judge Carroll ordered D'Urso to repay the town only $15,000.
D'Urso had initially balked at paying the town, claiming she didn't have any money. But then it was disclosed that she had refinanced her home and used much of the money to buy a luxury sport utility vehicle. | Source: Connecticut Post - April 27, 2007
Update posted on Apr 28, 2007 - 5:08AM |
Five months after being found starving and cramped in the home of a Fairfield woman along with 127 other dogs, two female pit bull mixes have been nursed back to health at the Greenwich pound and are ready for new families.
The two dogs, between 1 and 3 years old, were seized in a July raid of the Fairfield home of Robbin D'Urso, according to Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm. The dogs could not be put up for adoption because D'Urso had a legal claim to them until she was convicted this month of six counts of animal cruelty, and given a five-year suspended sentence, Halm said.
The dogs, named Tuxedo and Sienna, are energetic and playful, and deserve a good home, said William Petersen.
"They are both spayed females and very good dogs," said Petersen, kennel coordinator for the town. "These dogs are couch potatoes but they need exercise. We want somebody who wants to do right by these dogs."
Halm said the two dogs were chosen by Petersen among the many unfortunate refugees because they seemed more adoptable than others.
In the woman's home, where she operated a shelter, police found dogs living in stacked cages in the basement and festering dog excrement.
Many of the dogs had serious medical problems and required immediate treatment, according to police.
"We sort of hand-picked them for their temperaments," Halm said.
Halm said that Sienna, whose coat is a black and brown brindle pattern, is very affectionate, while Tuxedo, so named for her black coat with white patch on her chest, is more protective yet has an even temperament.
"She will be extremely loyal and protective of her own," Halm said about Tuxedo.
Petersen, a pit-bull enthusiast, said both dogs would make excellent companions, especially in a single-dog household.
"Most members of this breed do well on their own," Petersen said. "If you read the breed description it says they love people and they do."
While the dogs were among the healthiest rescued from D'Urso's home, they were still in pitiable shape when they arrived in Greenwich. The dogs were scrawny upon arrival, but have put on weight and been de-wormed, Halm said.
Halm said that the mistreatment of dogs either through overcrowding and neglect in private shelters is not limited to D'Urso's case, and is driven by the profit motive of collecting donations from soft-hearted animal lovers.
"They start out right but it turns sour," Halm said. "The hoarding of animals, I don't know what it is, but it seems to be psychological. A lot of these agencies are worth millions of dollars."
To make an appointment to meet Tuxedo and Sienna call Petersen or Halm at 622-8299. | Source: Greenwich Time - Dec 1, 2006
Update posted on Dec 4, 2006 - 12:01AM |
Three months after Robbin D'Urso was arrested when authorities found 129 dogs and other animals living in squalid conditions in her Eastfield Drive house, a Superior Court judge has given her a five-year suspended sentence and prohibited D'Urso from owning or caring for any animals for three years.
Under the terms of a plea agreement, D'Urso pled guilty on Oct. 25 to six counts of cruelty to animals and one count of animal nuisance, according to the Superior Court clerk's office. She did so under the Alford Doctrine, her attorney, Jonathan J. Klein, said, meaning that she did not admit guilt but did concede that the evidence of the case made it likely she would be convicted.
In addition to the five-year suspended sentence handed down by Judge Patrick Carroll, which allows her to avoid jail time, D'Urso was also put on three years probation and required to pay $15,000 to the town to cover some of the costs it has incurred while caring for the animals seized from D'Urso's house on July 26, Fairfield Police Lt. Christopher Lyddy said Tuesday.
While D'Urso, who had been running a purported pet rescue service out of her home, avoided jail time with the plea agreement, Klein said that does not mean the sentence was a lenient one, particularly in light of the three-year animal prohibition. "She's all about animals," said Klein, who added that he thinks the situation in D'Urso's home developed out of good intentions. "Animals are her life. She cares deeply about them. ... It's a very significant sentence from that perspective."
Prior to the sentencing, police and animal control officials had not been able to put the animals seized from D'Urso's home up for adoption because D'Urso still had a claim to them while the case was ongoing. After the sentencing, however, it took only an hour for the first dog to be taken, Lyddy said, and seven of the 30 or so animals that had been staying in the town's animal shelter had found new homes as of Tuesday morning. Dozens of other dogs seized from D'Urso's home have been staying in eight other animal shelters across the state because Fairfield could not accommodate all of them. Lyddy said he did not know how many of those dogs had been adopted thus far. He added that police were grateful that the court expedited the case to allow the dogs to be put up for adoption.
As of Oct. 17, the town's actual liability in caring for the animals - meaning the amount it has been billed plus the amount it could still be billed for services already rendered - stood at $91,384, Lyddy said.
Town Attorney Richard Saxl said the town is now preparing to file a civil suit in which it will seek to recoup about $65,000 from D'Urso. The figure is based on the $15-per-day state standard used to account for the cost of caring for and feeding dogs. Based on that $15-per-day rate, the town is able to recoup a total of $80,000 from D'Urso, Saxl said, $15,000 of which it already has obtained through the court sentence.
In their July 26 raid of D'Urso's home, the headquarters of her state-registered animal rescue business called Companions for Life, police, Health Department and Animal Control personnel found 129 dogs, two cats, two ducks, four hamsters and a rabbit. Police said the home, where D'Urso's 11-, 10-, and 7-year-old children had been living, was filled with a terrible stench, with animals housed in every room. Some animals were found lying in feces in the basement, police said; others were in cages stacked on top of each other without a solid floor in between, meaning that dogs in the higher cages would urinate and defecate on dogs below. Several of the animals were in distress and needed immediate medical attention, and 18 dogs were brought to veterinary facilities, according to police. Six puppies died a few days later.
A few more dogs taken to shelters outside of Fairfield died shortly after the raid, Lyddy said.
D'Urso was charged by police with more than 100 counts of animal cruelty, nine counts of illegal possession of dog and cat vaccines, and 95 infractions for failure to vaccinate, though her plea agreement ended up involving only the six animal cruelty and one nuisance charge, both of which are misdemeanors.
Klein said he thinks D'Urso had good intentions in taking in the animals. While there was objectively a problem with the smells and noises coming from the home, he said, D'Urso, much like employees of animal shelters, had acclimated to the environment and didn't see those problems. "She was so used to caring for animals [that] the sights and smells and sounds which bothered the neighbors tremendously ... were something that didn't bother her," he said.
Over the past five years, police have said, the department's animal control division had received 46 complaints about barking and odors coming from D'Urso's home. Police said they had been unable to take action sooner because D'Urso had refused to allow officers into the house, necessitating more paperwork. By the time of the July raid, however, they had enough probable cause to forcibly enter the home.
Police said that at least some of the dogs found in D'Urso's home came from Virginia, while Companions for Life's Web site had stated that all of the dogs obtained by the group came from a "very rural part of Virginia where they are still euthanized in gas chambers at high rates and have no chance at life other than our rescue." The site added that all the animals were shipped with Department of Agriculture health certificates and complete medical records. | Source: Fairfield Minuteman - Nov 2, 2006
Update posted on Nov 2, 2006 - 11:33AM |
Self-proclaimed Fairfield animal rescuer Robbin D'Urso, who had nearly 130 dogs crammed in cages all over her home in July, told a judge Tuesday he was barking up the wrong tree if he expected her to pay $15,000 in restitution.
After more than two hours of negotiation, the 44-year-old D'Urso agreed to plead guilty to six out of 104 animal cruelty charges.
But Superior Court Judge Patrick Carroll got D'Urso's dander up when he told her she would get a suspended sentence, on the condition she make restitution to all area towns that have been treating her dogs.
"But your honor, there is no money," she complained. D'Urso then insisted that the state probation office study what the municipalities are owed in her case.
But Carroll pointed out that that the probation office could find that she owes much more than the $15,000 in her plea deal, or more than $50,000 that the municipalities seek.
He also told D'Urso he is aware she had recently refinanced her Eastfield Drive home, providing her with $80,000.
"That's already been spent," D'Urso retorted. The judge then vacated the guilty pleas and continued the case to next Tuesday, so that D'Urso's lawyer, Jonathan Stein, can provide him with an accounting of what his client did with the money.
Police raided D'Urso's home on July 27 and found 129 dogs in cages piled on top of each other.
She had been collecting the dogs from puppy mills and animal shelters, according to police. Three puppies and one rabbit taken from D'Urso's home died and three other puppies had to be euthanized because of poor health.
D'Urso was recently denied permission to take in several blind pit bulls. | Source: Connecticut Post - Oct 4, 2006
Update posted on Oct 4, 2006 - 9:07PM |
The Fairfield woman who was keeping 129 dogs in her Eastfield Drive home has been charged with more than 100 additional counts of animal cruelty this week, while the town continues to rack up thousands of dollars in veterinarian fees needed to care for several of the animals that were seized from the home.
Robbin D'Urso, 45, appeared in court Tuesday, where she was charged with 118 counts of animal cruelty and 9 counts of illegal possession of dog and cat vaccines, both of which are misdemeanors, according to police detective Lt. Christopher Lyddy. In addition, D'Urso was issued 95 infractions for failure to vaccinate, Lyddy said. Her hearing was continued to Sept. 7.
Two weeks ago, police, health department and animal control personnel raided D'Urso's home, where she was running a purported pet rescue operation called Companions For Life, and found the 129 dogs, two cats, two ducks, four hamsters and a rabbit. Police said the home, where D'Urso's 11-, 10- and 7-year-old children had been living, was filled with a terrible stench, with animals housed in every room. Some animals were found lying in feces in the basement, police said; others were in cages stacked on top of each other without a solid floor in between, meaning that dogs in the higher cages would urinate and defecate on dogs below. Several of the animals were in distress and needed immediate medical attention, and 18 dogs were brought to veterinary facilities, according to police. Six puppies died within the next few days.
The state Department of Children and Families took D'Urso's children from her after the raid and sent them to live with their father, from whom D'Urso is separated, police have said. The children will not be allowed to stay in D'Urso's house until it passes an inspection, according to police.
The Minuteman has attempted to contact D'Urso, whose phone number is unlisted, through an e-mail address that had been posted on the Companions For Life Web site, but has received no response.
As of Tuesday, Lyddy said, no more dogs had died since the six puppies, and only a couple of dogs remained in veterinary facilities. The rabbit found in the home has died, however. Police are still waiting for autopsy results on the puppies.
About 76 dogs were still being held in Fairfield at the town's dog pound as of Tuesday, with the remainder being held in other towns' municipal animal shelters, Lyddy said. So far, the town has incurred more than $10,000 in veterinarian bills caring for the animals, he added. "It's mounting every day," he said of the cost of caring for the animals, adding that the town intends to try to recoup that money from D'Urso.
Lyddy said the town has not yet determined a per-day cost for feeding and caring for the animals, largely because they are scattered over several different shelters in the region since Fairfield was unable to accommodate all of them. He added that the costs could mount as the town is forced to take back the dogs who are being temporarily held in other town's shelters. Fairfield may then have to board the animals in private shelters because of the sheer number of animals involved, he said.
"We can only impose on surrounding communities for so long," Lyddy said. "They've all been very accommodating, but I'm sure that ... they're going to need the space sooner or later."
After the July 26 raid, police said they would be keeping the dogs for the near future because they were evidence in the case against D'Urso. Lyddy said the town will next be taking a civil action requesting that the court stipulate as soon as possible what should be done with the dogs. Once that motion is made, D'Urso would have an opportunity to try to reclaim the animals, if the court is willing to return them to her, Lyddy said.
When and if the court allows the town to begin finding homes for the animals, there should be no problem finding takers; since news of the raid became public, Lyddy said, the town has been inundated with calls from people wishing to adopt the animals. "We have no doubt - no doubt - that we'll be able to find suitable homes for all of them," Lyddy said. | Source: Fairfield Minutemen - Aug 11, 2006
Update posted on Aug 11, 2006 - 1:14PM |
There's more trouble for a Fairfield woman charged last week with animal cruelty.
Forty-four-year-old Robbin D'Urso has been arrested again, this time for allegedly threatening to kill her neighbor.
Last week police removed 129 dogs from D'Urso's home; they were reportedly living in filth.
Now, D'Urso is facing charges for threats she allegedly made to her 16-year-old neighbor that she wanted to kill her and her boyfriend.
There's no word on what prompted those threats. | Source: wtnh.com - August 1, 2006
Update posted on Aug 1, 2006 - 7:43PM |
More than 100 dogs were found living in filth inside a Fairfield home. Two people say two of the dogs they adopted from the home in the past have serious health problems, they say one of the animals may even have to be put down.
Back in February, Jennifer Romano saw Jazzy's picture on a pet rescue website and she fell in love, but then she went to pick up Jazzy at a "foster" home in Fairfield.
"The smell that came off of her was horrific. It was absolutely horrible, and she was just bathed. And that gave me an indication of, you know what? Something's not right," says Jennifer Romano.
Something wasn't right. This Thursday morning, police raided that foster home they found 129 dogs living stacked up in cages. Homeowner Robin D'Urso said she was part of an animal rescue operation.
Carol Notaro also adopted a dog from D'Urso. Louie smelled bad and had serious health issues - and right now he's in quarantine after biting carol.
"All of a sudden, a split second, and he would start attacking us, and this went on for tow, three weeks," says Carol Notaro.
In both cases, D'Urso made the adopters sign contracts saying the dogs were being kept in sanitary conditions and then D'Urso charged each family $300 for each dog.
"It did say that they were a non-profit organization and they use the money they get from the dogs for vets and other things and I thought to myself, you know what? I'm doing a good thing," says Romano.
But was D'Urso doing a good thing? Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is investigating. He released a statement that, quote, "We're deeply concerned and disturbed about the alleged inhumane and intolerable treatment of dogs at Robin D'Urso's home, and we have evidence that her organization may have failed to comply with state charity laws." | Source: News Channel 8 - July 29, 2006
Update posted on Jul 29, 2006 - 10:33AM |
An Eastfield Drive woman accused of boarding 129 dogs in her single-family home was ordered Friday to turn over custody of her children.
Bridgeport Superior Court Judge Arthur Hiller ordered Robbin D'Urso, 44, arrested Thursday on 14 counts of cruelty to animals, to turn over custody of three children, ages 7, 10 and 11, to her husband, Vincent D'Urso, until she cleans up her house.
The lawyers for the children and Vincent D'Urso, of North Haven, are to inspect the Fairfield home Thursday. If they find it clean and suitable for children, Robbin D'Urso will be allowed to have the children back at her home on a part-time basis.
Robbin and Vincent D'Urso, married in 1993, are locked in a bitter divorce dispute.
Vincent D'Urso claims his wife has a drug and alcohol problem, and poisoned his Pepsi with Syrup of Ipecac on Jan. 26.
Meanwhile, the investigation into D'Urso's animal-rescue business continued Friday.
Fairfield police also are investigating a complaint that Robbin D'Urso threatened one of her neighbors late Thursday. The neighbor had previously complained that D'Urso spray-painted profanities on his house, but police said they could not prove that.
State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Friday that his office has evidence D'Urso's nonprofit animal rescue business, called Companions for Life, may have failed to comply with state charity laws.
"According to its latest report, the organization raised $44,000, purportedly for the purpose of animal rescue, and spent $48,000. Our investigation concerns possible improper use of these funds," Blumenthal said.
Fairfield police said they seized computers from D'Urso's house during Thursday's raid.
Officers removed 129 dogs, 14 in very bad health, that they found living in foul conditions.
Detective Lt. Daniel Gombos said Friday afternoon that none of the dogs has died, but one is in "very serious" condition.
Seventy-nine dogs went to Fairfield's animal shelter; the rest are in other animal shelters around the state.
Local police on Friday also sent a message to other communities' animal shelters asking that they take more of D'Urso's dogs from Fairfield.
Gombos said the dogs would not be given to volunteer agencies or individuals because they are evidence in the investigation.
D'Urso is to appear Aug. 8 in Bridgeport Superior Court to answer the 14 counts of animal cruelty.
D'Urso is also due in court Aug. 15 for a contempt of court hearing because she allegedly violated a judge's order that she not keep more than three dogs in a pen on her property.
Meanwhile, women who bought dogs from D'Urso last weekend questioned her honesty.
D'Urso does not have a published phone number, and she did not reply to e-mails seeking comment.
Barbara Schaefer, 50, of Stratford, said D'Urso told her Sunday night that she had 30 dogs in her house - far fewer than the 129 dogs found by police four days later.
Schaefer, who bought a 2-year-old retriever mix named Harry from D'Urso, said the dog seemed well fed and had clear eyes and good teeth and gums.
But Schaefer said Harry was filthy and had an infection where he had been neutered. Harry also has separation and crate anxiety, she said.
Schaefer said she paid $275 for Harry and another $25 so D'Urso could do a background check on her.
Amy Campagna, 30, of Oxford, said she bought a collie from D'Urso for $325. She said D'Urso gave her medicine to treat two parasites in the dog, named Pepper.
But Pepper, Campagna said, was older than D'Urso claimed and was "skin and bones." Campagna said she later discovered Pepper had a bad case of worms that D'Urso didn't mention.
Campagna said D'Urso's house had a stench and that she saw dogs rolling around in feces in D'Urso's front yard. She said black flies bit the dog Campagna took to D'Urso's house to meet Pepper.
D'Urso blamed the foul odors on wild turkeys, Campagna said.
Campagna said she thought it was unusual D'Urso's business didn't have a telephone or fax machine and that D'Urso did business only by e-mail.
"There were a lot of things that in retrospect were kind of sketchy," Campagna said. "I had never been to a foster house before, so I didn't know what to expect. I just know it smelled really bad." | Source: Connecticut Post - July 29, 2006
Update posted on Jul 29, 2006 - 10:26AM |
Fourteen dogs were rushed to a veterinarian clinic for immediate medical care, police said.
D'Urso, who runs an animal rescue group, was charged with 14 counts of animal cruelty. She was released on a promise to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on Aug. 8.
Neighbors complained 46 times about the noise and smell coming from D'Urso's house. But police said they were not allowed into the house before getting the warrant, so they could not determine whether conditions were bad.
Neighbor Jeff Wargo said the conditions were bothersome.
"Keeping you awake, you can't open the windows in the house. I think any normal person would complain," he said.
D'Urso is the president of Companions for Life, according to state records. The organization describes itself on its Web site as a nonprofit animal rescue group that provides foster and veterinarian care.
Martin Lopow of Companions for Life said there may have been some crowding at D'Urso's house, but the conditions were within kennel standards.
"I just want to make absolutely clear that Mrs. D'Urso is a very responsible, caring individual as far as animal welfare is concerned," Lopow said. | Source: The Advocate - July 28, 2006
Update posted on Jul 28, 2006 - 9:50AM |
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