by Jerry Burke
According to Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray, the initial call came to police last Thursday morning and was passed on to both the Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Town of Hempstead Animal Control. "Based on the information given to the shelter, the homeowners apparently had called a rug cleaner to their home. When the contractor noticed the smell and the conditions of the home, he called to lodge the complaint."
The dogs were removed from the second floor of the home at about 3 p.m. by three rescuers wearing protective suits and respirators. They entered the home and returned to the shelter's trucks carrying the dogs.
The dogs were barely recognizable, as their fur was matted with their own filth, and neighbors watched in disgust. "I felt so bad for them," said one neighbor who lives across the street. "I never would have thought they could have had so many of them without anyone noticing before."
"The dogs ranged in age from 1 to 4 years old. Three of them were puppies," said Murray about the small dogs, all of which were Lhasa Apso and Shih Tzu mixes, some with a little terrier mixed in.
"The SPCA will continue to investigate, but criminal charges probably won't be lodged," said Murray. "It appears that they were just an elderly couple who kept bringing the dogs in and became overwhelmed."
Calling it a case of "benign neglect" on the part of the elderly couple who reside in the home, Murray said the rescuers were more in danger from the fumes then they were from the dogs. "In most cases of neglect, the animals tend to be aggressive and ill-tempered," said Murray. "In this case, they were all very docile. None of them tried to bite back or anything."
According to the police report, the house was in poor condition, with animal waste in almost every room.
After the dogs were removed and loaded in the vans, they were whisked away to the town's animal shelter in Wantagh for washing, grooming and medical attention. "They're doing as well as could be expected," said the receptionist on Friday morning as she struggled with the increased volume of calls from those offering to adopt the dogs.
While officials feared the worst on the dogs' arrival, Murray said they were basically healthy. "Extremely filthy, but generally they were in good shape," she said. Animal-shelter officials said a few of the dogs had bleeding gums and a difficult time walking, but seemed to enjoy what appeared to be their first baths in a very long time.
Officials were still looking into how the homeowner, 74-year-old John Consolo, acquired so many dogs. They believe that while some of the animals probably bred while in the home, none were being bred for profit. "We were concerned about that up until the point where the gentleman said he just wanted them to have good homes," said Murray. "He signed them over to the SPCA immediately after they assured him they would."
Consolo was, however, cited by the town building-code enforcement for three violations: having sleeping quarters and unlicensed plumbing fixtures in his basement, and disobeying a town ordinance making it illegal to have more than three dogs in a house. He declined to comment on the incident.
By Friday afternoon, Murray said, 13 of the dogs were already cleaned up and adopted. "And the other eight have a list a mile long," said Murray, who visited the pooches at the shelter on Friday as they were getting cleaned up and ready to join new families.
As of Monday, the SPCA was reporting that all of the dogs had been spoken for.
