TROY - A married couple who allowed their animals to live in filth at their Campbell Avenue home were sentenced to local jail time and probation Wednesday, but animal rights activists said the punishment wasn't stiff enough.

David and Michelle Hempstead were put on probation for three years but must start their sentence by spending the first two months in jail. Once they get out, they are forbidden from owning domestic animals for 30 years.

Rensselaer County Chief Assistant District Attorney Matthew Hauf urged City Court Judge Chris Maier to put the Hempsteads behind bars for two years, the maximum sentence under the state Agriculture and Markets law misdemeanor they pleaded guilty to earlier this year.

"These animals were living in deplorable conditions," Hauf said.

Marianne Harrington, the founder of a local animal rights group, said she'd hoped Maier would have sent the two away for two years and set a precedent that might deter similar behavior by others.

Maier also ordered the couple to pay $24,412 in restitution to the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, which cared for the animals. Hauf said the Menands-based organization spent $120,000 to care for the 38 dogs, 38 cats, six ferrets, 18 birds and a hedgehog that authorities seized from the Hempsteads' home in December.

The Hempsteads had pleaded guilty to 17 counts of misdemeanor animal abuse in May. Maier sentenced them separately on each count, but they will be served concurrently.

Michelle Hempstead faces an additional charge of selling or offering to sell or exposing a diseased animal.

The Hempsteads said they were sorry for what occurred. They also said it was not intentional. They had been classified as having a hoarding disorder, according to statements in court.

The Hempsteads were arrested after police went to their home and found animals encrusted in feces, infested with fleas and worms and suffering hair loss from scratching. Many animals were adopted, city police said previously.

Hauf said the Hempsteads were living in squalor in a small house that was not large enough for them to have more than 100 animals there. He said they also were breeding and selling dogs.