NEW YORK (AP) – Seemingly neglected caged dogs and other animals were found in the foul-smelling, garbage-filled home of the New York couple arrested and charged with beating their two teenage sons, one fatally, said an animal advocate who rescued the pets.
Kimberly Strong, founder of Lainey’s Army, an animal advocacy group based in central New York, said the home of Bruce and Deborah Leonard – now under arrested – had four neglected dogs, three birds and several cats in and around their home. Feces and urine were everywhere, she said.
“Conditions in the house were abhorrent; it smelled to knock you out,” Strong said Sunday.
Strong said neighbors concerned about the animals called her earlier last week and she alerted authorities. On Thursday, a few days after the couple was arrested and charged – she walked through the home with Clayville animal control officer Gordon Chafee and a New York state trooper, she said.
New York State Police did not return calls for comment on why authorities did not make arrangements for the animals earlier.