24 dogs confiscated in Weathersfield, owner hospitalized

MCDONALD

A woman, 66, of Ohltown-McDonald Road in Weathersfield Township was taken to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital for evaluation, and her 24 dogs were removed to the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County because of the extremely bad smell of dog urine, feces and clutter.

Weathersfield police went to the house at 6:06 p.m. Wednesday because of a barking-dog complaint, but the officer became alarmed when he smelled the “strong, heavy odor of animal feces and urine” while he was still on the front porch.

He went inside to determine whether the home was safe and found that there were dirty dishes and used food containers “covering every square inch of the kitchen and heaping in a mound about two feet tall.”

There were pathways to walk through the home because of the amount of garbage and clutter. The woman said she was sleeping on a mattress on the floor in the living room, near the front door and four animal crates.

Feces dried and covered in mold was near the mattress, and the the floor was wet and bare particle-board.

The officer said the air “was so toxic with the smell of urine and feces that I could not breathe in the home and asked [the woman] if we could step back ouside.”

Read more about the situation in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.