A Long Island man was arrested Saturday after he allegedly kept 11 dogs locked in a rat-infested home filled with urine and feces — and exposed two of the pups to cocaine, authorities said.
Christopher DiGiovanna, 42, was hit with nearly two dozen charges after his Suffolk County home was raided around 4:30 p.m. by the county’s SPCA and police force after receiving a tip about the deplorable living conditions.
Some of the ungroomed canines found inside were underweight, had fleas and were covered in urine. The conditions in the home were so stomach-turning some officers had trouble breathing, the SPCA said in a news release.
“The air was so noxious with ammonia from urine, feces, mold and mildew that it stung investigators eyes and throats making it difficult to breathe,” the SPCA stated.
Ten dogs were allegedly stuck in a small bedroom that had sheets soaked with urine and feces with dangerous electrical wires, hypodermic needles and other drug paraphernalia out in the open.
At least two dogs tested positive for cocaine exposure, according to preliminary testing by officials.
Other parts of the home were filled with fly excrement and cobwebs while rats raced in and out of holes in the walls, according to authorities.
‘The air was so noxious with ammonia from urine, feces, mold and mildew that it stung investigators eyes and throats making it difficult to breathe.’
DiGiovanna was charged with two criminal counts of animal cruelty for each of the 11 dogs, including ten Chihuahuas and a St. Bernard, Newsday reported.
If he’s convicted of all 22 charges, he could face 22 years in prison.
DiGiovanna was held in detention on two other active arrest warrants in unrelated cases.
The dogs were rescued from the home and will be up for adoption after they fully recover.
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