A Pennsylvania couple is facing a slew of charges after authorities found a teenage boy and a staggering 77 unkempt animals living in a their filthy home.
Humane officers and police executed a search warrant at a Westmoreland County home linked to James Chaney, 52, and Kathleen Chaney, 59, on Aug. 14, the Penn-Trafford Star reported, citing court documents.
The authorities – who were accompanied by a county children’s bureau caseworker – found a 14-year-old boy in the home along with 46 dogs and 23 cats, the outlet said.
There were also five guinea pigs, a chinchilla, and a ferret were also at the scene.
Kathleen Chaney was at work when police served the warrant, and refused to come home, the paperwork said – though she admitted that the teen was her and James’ son and that they cared for animals.
There were overwhelming odors of feces, urine, and sewage coming from the house, and feces covered the basement and first floors, the report continued, citing the criminal complaint filed last week.
The rooms of the since-condemned residence were also caked in mold and spiderwebs, and the smell of ammonia made it difficult for investigators to inspect the property.
“The specific conditions inside the residence were the worst I have experienced in my 15 years as a law enforcement officer and over 20 years as a first responder,” Penn Township Sgt. Robert Broome wrote in the court papers, according to the Star.
“It is clear these conditions have been in the residence for a long period of time,” he added.
Authorities were alerted to the scene by neighbor Bill Monstrola, Channel 11 reported.
“It’s always been pretty deplorable conditions. They often left animals that they had outside, in these kinds of circumstances with the weather below zero,” Monstrola told the outlet.
“Short leashes, no water, no bedding,” he lamented.
The house had no running water, the Star noted.
All of the dogs and cats had fleas and worms, and several had serious injuries, infections, overgrown nails, and eye ulcers, among other conditions, the Star recounted.
One dog had a ruptured uterus, while another had a needle stuck into his stomach area, the court papers read.
Some of the rescued cats had to have their teeth extracted due to stomatitis, and another had a broken pelvis that did not heal properly due to a lack of treatment.
One of the felines died in surgery after the rescue, the Star added.
In addition to the living animals, authorities also found a dog, a bird, a snake, and four chickens dead at the scene.
“There were animals in every single crevice of the house. Cages inside, outside, tied to dog boxes,” animal rescuer Jen Johnson told Channel 11 in August.
A few months after the raid, five of the rescued dogs and nine rescued cats are still available for adoption, while another four cats are still receiving medical treatment, the outlet said.
Last week, James and Kathleen were both brought up on 22 charges, including endangering the welfare of children and animal abuse and neglect, the Penn-Trafford Star said.
They have not been arraigned, according to court records.