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Cops: 129 Animals Found In L.I. House Of Squalor

Nassau County Authorities Uncover 87 Guinea Pigs, 26 Dogs, Among Others

SYOSSET, N.Y. (CBS) ― WCBSTV.com has learned of a disturbing house of filth and animal neglect on Long Island.

At approximately 3 p.m. on Wednesday, the Nassau County SPCA, assisted by the Nassau County Police Department, executed a search warrant at 23 Market Drive in Syosset and found well over 100 animals in the home.

Authorities said there were 87 guinea pigs, 26 dogs, including two that are blind, six ferrets, four Sugar Gliders -- also known as flying squirrels -- two rabbits, two cats, one love bird and one Cockatiel found in the residence.

Detective Sgt. Bob Atcheson from the 2nd Precinct was present when the warrant was served, but said the conditions were so bad he didn't enter the house.

"It was really bad. The only guys that went in were equipped with breathing masks and body suits. Emergency Services and SPCA guys," Atcheson said. "I looked in the front door. There was an overwhelming smell of urine and feces. It was overpowering. If you got within four feet of the house, you could smell it."

All of the animals were taken to the Oyster Bay Animal Shelter to be evaluated.

"There was garbage, junk all over the place," Atcheson said. "You couldn't find a path to walk through the house."

The unidentified 53-year-old resident in the home was taken to a nearby hospital for psychiatric evaluation, police said. No charges have been filed at this time.

This house of filth and animals was yet another example of bizarre incidents that have plagued the tri-state area over the last year:

* On Jan. 21, police were forced to call in hazmat units after recovering a total of 24 animals from a Brentwood, N.Y., home, including four cats, two kittens, a dog, turtles, hamsters, finches and other birds. A dead pigeon and mouse were also removed.

* On Jan. 18, a Kent, N.Y., woman was sentenced to six months in jail for keeping more than a dozen cats, a dog and several birds in squalor in a rented home.

* On Oct. 26, 2007, police arrested a Suffield, Conn., husband and wife after finding them and their 9-year-old daughter living in an "absolutely disgusting" house, according to court documents. Police responding to a medical call at the home earlier this month found piles of clothes covered in food and feces, three feet of dirty dishes in the kitchen sink, kitchen table covered with garbage and rotten food, and brown liquid running out of the refrigerator onto the floor, according to court documents.

* On Sept. 1, 2007, police made a disturbing discovery at a licensed daycare center in Stamford -- hazardous and filthy conditions and children taking care of children. The owner, who was apparently in Florida, now faces felony charges. Inside the dirty daycare center -- which had only been open for six months -- police say there were piles of garbage on the floor, the kitchen was a mess, and clothes were strewn everywhere. Water was dripping from a light fixture into a container down below. Nails were protruding from a stairwell. Electrical wires were exposed and mosquito larvae had piled in a children's pool with standing water.

* On Aug. 17, 2007, an 83-year-old Queens woman suffering from Alzheimer's was hospitalized and dozens of animals inside her house rescued after police and animal officials discovered the woman and her pets living in squalid conditions. The ASPCA and the NYPD were called to the woman's Woodhaven home by a concerned neighbor. Once there, officials found about 30 dogs, 10 cats and four birds.

* On Aug. 16, 2007, nearly 100 cats and dogs -- 23 of which were found dead -- were discovered living in feces and filth inside a multi-million dollar Bergen County mansion. Saddle River Police said the bodies of the dead animals were found wrapped inside plastic bags and placed in shoe boxes stacked in the house's 3-car garage, and ASPCA officials estimate they may have been there for up to a year.

* On May 30, 2007, a Putnam County house was raided and 23 animals were seized after SPCA officers discovered the animals living in squalor among large piles of garbage, feces, and filth. The owner of the Lake Carmel property arrived at the home and smelled a pungent odor of urine before she had even entered the house, which she had been renting out to someone she'd actually planned on evicting. SPCA officers found 16 cats, including nine newborn kittens, as well as five love birds, a Cockatiel, and a Dalmatian whose nails had grown so long that they were growing sideways, making it painful for it to walk. The kittens were suffering from upper respiratory infections and flea infestation. Some had eye infections that caused their eyelids to seal shut.

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