More than 40 maltreated Belgian Malinois dogs were found trapped together in a cramped, filthy Queens apartment, sparking an animal cruelty investigation, officials said Saturday.
So many dogs were stuffed into the small Woodside home Thursday morning that some were found cowering in closets and kitchen cupboards, said officials from Animal Care Centers of NYC, who rescued the animals with the ASPCA.
“These dogs have reportedly lived in total confinement for their entire lives,” said Tara Mercado, ACC’s Director of Behavior and Shelter Operations. “We found full-grown Malinois hidden in cabinets and crammed behind furniture.”
The dogs were found alone inside the seventh-floor apartment on 62nd Road near Yellowstone Blvd. at about 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, officials said. Community tips led animal rescuers to the apartment, officials said.
More than 10 of the large pure-breed dogs were found climbing all over each other in the apartment’s hallway by the front door, a photo taken at the scene shows. The dogs, which ranged from puppies to fully grown adults, had never been outside, an ACC spokeswoman said.
Initial health assessments for each pooch were currently underway.
“Right now they’re decompressing. They’re being walked for the first time. Cared for the first time.” ACC spokeswoman Katy Hansen told the Daily News on Saturday. “They’ve actually slept a lot because you can imagine how noisy it was in that apartment with 40 other dogs.”
For the first time in their lives, each dog has their own space at the Queens ACC center, where more than 30 of the pure breeds are being kept.
“We’re just doing our best to prepare them for rescue,” Hansen said.
The dogs didn’t appear starved or malnourished, ACC officials said. Their owner wasn’t in the apartment when city officials arrived. The NYPD Animal Cruelty Squad has launched an investigation into the matter.
It took two days to safely locate, recover, and transport the dogs to ACC and ASPCA shelters.
None of them, however, are ready for a new home just yet, ACC officials said. Most are extremely fearful, under socialized, and in need of long-term behavioral support.
“They’ve likely never touched grass, walked on a leash, or met a stranger,” said Dr. Biana Tamimi, ACC’s director of shelter medicine. “Every new sound, every human interaction, is overwhelming. But we’re already seeing glimmers of curiosity — and that gives us hope.”
Hansen said ACC was planning to coordinate adoption procedures with breed-specific rescues that specifically work with Belgian Malinois.
“They’re unique dogs,” she said. “They need a lot of attention. They’re super smart. Super motivated. Now the goal is to get them spayed and neutered before they go to a rescue group.”
The Belgian Malinois is a working breed known for its intelligence, energy, and need for stimulation, ACC officials said. Healthy dogs of this breed can be between 24 and 26 inches tall and between 60 and 80 pounds.
Many Malinois are used by law enforcement as K-9 dogs, officials said.
“To deny a Mal activity and the pleasure of your company is to deprive him of his very reasons for being,” the American Kennel Club said about the breed.
The discovery of the Belgian Malinois sent the ACC’s dog population to “near triple capacity at Queens alone,” ACC’s Director of Placement Jessica Vacarro said. The Queens facility was already caring for 175 dogs, she said.
An additional 165 dogs were waiting for homes at ACC’s Manhattan and Staten Island care centers, she said.
Anyone wishing to adopt an animal at any of the ACC shelters can do so by visiting the agency’s website.
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