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WAUCONDA, Ill. (WLS) — A woman was arrested for animal cruelty after dozens of dogs were rescued from a home, police said.
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On Monday, Wauconda police responded to a complaint of many dogs living in “unsanitary and overcrowded conditions, with no air conditioning and evidence of inbreeding.”
Officers immediately noticed a strong odor of urine coming from a home in the 200 block of Sky Hill Road.
The owner of the house, Carol Reith, claimed she only had four dogs and a recent litter of puppies.
She allegedly allowed police to enter the home, however the “overwhelming odors of urine and bleach” forced police to retreat.
“We went out to the area. It’s only about 10 minutes from here, and what we saw once we went inside was just horrendous,” Director of Reach Rescue Amanda Dziekanski said.
The fire department was called to asses air quality before police were able to continue their investigation.
A total of 52 dogs were removed from the home.
“There was stuff everywhere,” Dziekanski said. “There’s no lights on the main floor of the house, so we were using flashlights. They had all the windows covered so the neighbors couldn’t see in… It was so hot, I don’t know how the dogs were surviving in there.”
During the rescue, one animal control officer was bit by a dog and required medical attention, police said.
“The smell was so horrific. Your eyes would just water and burn the entire time that you’re in there,” Dziekanski said.
The dogs were turned over to Reach Rescue, Wags 2 Wishes Animal Rescue, Waukegan Police Animal Control and Lake County Animal Care and Control.
WAUCONDA POLICE DEPARTMENT
“They’re never going to have to spend another day of their life like that,” Dziekanski said.
The volunteers are getting the furry faces checked out and prepared for adoption.
Lake County Animal Control arrived and said the living conditions constituted animal cruelty.
City authorities deemed the house uninhabitable and was red-tagged.
Reith was charged with animal cruelty. She is due in court on July 24 in Waukegan.
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