40 abandoned dogs rescued from Lakewood home

LAKEWOOD – Animal-control police and volunteers rescued approximately 40 dogs from a trash- and feces-filled house on Spruce Street, weeks after the township was aware there were problems at the property, according to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Volunteers and officers throughout the region spent about eight hours from the dilapidated home at 52 Spruce St., where they extracted dozens of dogs caked in feces, urine and muck. A Hazmat team had to be called in after they found several dogs hiding within the walls, rescuers said.

"I've never been in a situation that was this bad," said Lorraine Healy, founder and president of Husky House, the Matawan-based rescue group, which she has led for more than 16 years. "There was not an inch of anything that was saturated and soaked in urine and feces."

All told, 40 golden retrievers, border collies, huskies and mixed breeds were removed.

At least three neighbors said they had contacted the township weeks ago to complain about the animals at the house.

A Lakewood animal control officer initially visited the house last week, after the owner surrendered at least some of the dogs, according to the NJ SPCA and the township. The officer picked up two dogs each day because the shelter taking them in had limited capacity. By Thursday, however, it became known that many more animals were being kept inside.

The NJ SPCA and rescue volunteers were called in Thursday afternoon and rescued 29 dogs. One more dog was retrieved from the house Friday morning.

Thomas Henshaw, township manager, said the animal control officer was not aware of how many dogs were at the house. According to Henshaw, the officer said he met with the owner outside of her house and only saw about 10 dogs.

He did not name the officer or the woman. He said he did not know how long ago the township was informed of the neighbors' complaints.

"Once we found out there were more than 10 dogs, we immediately responded and went into the house and took action," Henshaw said.

NJ SPCA spokesman Matt Stanton said the agency's understanding was the township had known for weeks that there were problems at the house. He noted that rescue plans for animals can be difficult because so many shelters have limited capacity. But Stanton said even with a capacity problem, animal control officers should "know ... (they can) call an agency like us."

When asked about Stanton's comments, Henshaw said he was unaware of the timeline but added that once the township knew more than 10 dogs were involved, it took immediate action.

Rescuers described the Cape Cod-style residence as a house of horrors covered in layers of urine, feces and trash. Trash was strewn about the yard of overgrown grass and weeds, and open dog food cans were littered across the backyard.

Inside, the floors were covered with piles of feces and stained with urine, Healy said. The dogs, all covered in filth, walked along the rafters of the second level because the floors had deteriorated under layers of grime.

Healy got the call Thursday afternoon to go to the house. The rescue team had to pull out dogs from a window because Healy said the front door was blocked by " a foot of poop."

"There were dogs everywhere," Healy said. "We didn't want to lose anybody."

They pulled out the dogs, one by one. Husky House took in six dogs at its Matawan facility. Other rescue agencies such as Randolph-based Eleventh Hour Rescue, Lacey-based Popcorn Park Zoo Animal Rescue and Sanctuary and Jackson-based Seer farms brought the animals to their facility. Several were taken to the Ocean County Animal Facility in Jackson.

Volunteers stayed at Husky House until 3 a.m. to clean up and shave the dogs they rescued, Healy said. A veterinarian checked on the dogs and will return for an in-depth examination. Husky House is collecting supplies for the dogs and has published an Amazon wishlist for those who want to help.

Far from the grimy house, the dogs rescued by Husky House already started to show improvements, Healy said.

"Once they were shaved, they were playing," she said. "They were completely different than the dogs that we picked up earlier in the day."

Fly infestation apparently led to the discovery.

Exterminators had been called to the neighborhood due to fly infestations and odors that were traced back to the house, A to Z Pest Control & Termite Regional Manager Avrom Markovits said.

One homeowner called Markovits in September, complaining about a swarm of flies on his backyard deck. It was so bad the family could not hold barbecues.

A to Z Pest Control & Termite inspectors checked the home and the yard, but found nothing. They sent a fly specimen to a Rutgers lab to determine the species and any irregularities, but they hit a dead end.

His customer called again this week and and said the flies had returned. When the inspectors returned, they found that all the houses on this block had the same fly problem.

That's when Markovits heard a rumor that there were dogs at 52 Spruce St. that probably weren't being looked after. He concluded that house was the source of the flies, and the customer called animal control.

"It's sort of a happy ending," he said. "Not only were we able to give these people their back yard back...we were able to help find shelter (for the dogs)."

Steph Solis: 732-643-4043; ssolis@gannettnj.com