[Animals] Police: Hebron woman facing cruelty charges had dozens of animals in home

[FazzNoth]

A Hebron woman charged with animal cruelty had about 30 dogs, 20 cats, and a couple of birds at the Hebron residence, which had "an overwhelming odor of urine and feces," a state police affidavit said.

State police described the state of the home as "deplorable and unsanitary."

The woman, Joann Connelly, 59, of Porter Road, was charged Friday with three counts of animal cruelty, for the cats, dogs, and birds in the home.

She was held on $10,000 bond and was to appear in Vernon Superior Court today.

The animals were seized, transported, and are receiving care. They all have predetermined adoptive homes, and the State Animal Control Office will be tracking the animals to ensure they're going to good homes, police said.

Connelly is the owner of CT Pregnant Dog and Cat Rescue, a licensed animal importer. On the group's Facebook page, a post on Saturday said the nonprofit group has shut down.

 

"Do to an unforeseen incident, CT Pregant Dog and Cat rescue will no longer be active. I am so sorry to all those who tried to help in every way they could. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to the CT Department of Agriculture," reads the post, which is signed, "Thank you Erin."

In a later unsigned comment, the rescue apologized for what happened.

"I am so sorry everyone. Joann just became overwhelmed with the number of animals she was trying to help," the post reads.

According to state police, the home wasn't always in such poor condition.

The affidavit supporting Connelly's arrest provides the following details:

State police and the state animal control officer inspected Connelly's home in February 2020. At that time they found the home to be dirty, but not to the point that violated any health department regulations.

 

The floors were dirty but not soiled with feces or urine, and there were five dogs in crates, for which Connelly had the proper paperwork.

In February 2021, the state animal control was asked to check on a dog. Connelly never made the dog available to view, but submitted paperwork showing that it had been seen by a veterinarian and was doing better.

Last September, authorities began getting complaints that Connelly had an excessive number of dogs at her residence, but they were unable to access the home until March, when authorities heard Connelly had moved out of the house and left the animals behind.

Members of the state police and animal control visited the home on Wednesday, March 23. Upon entering, the smell of urine and feces was overwhelming. An officer standing 15 feet away could smell it when the front door was opened.

 

Inside investigators found numerous dogs in cages in various rooms. The floors throughout were covered in urine, feces, newspaper, dog food, and dirt.

The floors in the rooms housing cats were similarly covered in urine, feces, litter, and fur.

Two parakeets were in another cage in a bedroom. That room was covered in bird waste and filth.

The smell was so bad on the second floor of the home that an officer had trouble breathing while wearing an N95 respirator.

Investigators also found a pony, two goats, and three geese outside the home. Where the three large animals were housed, fecal matter and hay had built up so much that it blocked about half of the doorway.

State police believed that Connelly had more animals scheduled to arrive in the following days.

Link: https://news.yahoo.com/police-hebron-woman-facing-cruelty-150400295.html