A Staten Island man who kept over two dozen Siberian husky dogs and puppies in ‘deplorable’ conditions has been charged with animal cruelty.
Victor Quinteros, 59, was indicted by a grand jury after an investigation by the Staten Island District Attorney’s Office and the New York City Sheriff’s Department discovered the dogs in a secluded lot in the Tompkinsville neighborhood of Staten Island.
Investigators executed a search warrant at Quinteros’ lot, which was surrounded by trailers, an old bus, and an RV, on July 29.
As soon as they entered, they saw five huskies on the loose in what they described as ‘unhealthy and unsanitary conditions’.
When they opened the door to one of the trailers, 10 more huskies came running out, apparently searching for food.
The dogs were drinking from what the Sheriff’s Office described as ‘a small children’s pool filled with dirty, foul smelling water.’ The pool was the only source of water on the property.
The only food was kept in a large white bucket and had maggots crawling in it, they said.
The investigators described the inside of the trailer as ‘extremely hot and stuffy, with no light fixtures or air flow’ and said it was ‘covered in urine and fecal matter.’
An adult husky was found underneath the trailer nursing eight puppies. One of them was already deceased.
Two more dogs were found in another trailer with the same condition. One of the dogs was laying on its side and unresponsive until it received medical attention.
The dogs were taken to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), where they received medical treatment.
‘This defendant neglected to provide basic needs for twenty-four huskies under his care, choosing to heartlessly leave these beautiful creatures in deplorable and unsafe conditions without access to enough food or water,’ said Richmond County District Attorney Michael McMahon.
According to investigators, authorities were tipped off after Quinteros’ neighbors noticed the horrible conditions.
‘It is important to acknowledge and recognize the importance of the community reporting what they saw, allowing us to mobilize in response,’ said New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda. ‘We are happy the huskies are in better and more compassionate hands’
One month earlier on June 29, Quinteros struck a woman who was looking at the dogs after hearing them howling and barking, the New York Daily News reported.
Quinteros is also facing assault and harassment charges from the earlier incident, the law enforcement sources told the paper.
The Daily News also reported that Quinteros has refused to officially surrender the dogs, and refuses to give consent for the animals to be spayed, neutered, and microchipped.
Quinteros was also indicted on nineteen charges related to property damage, in addition to the animal cruelty charges.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Share this with