The dogs who cried in the dark

TOMS RIVER – When Ocean County accepted custody of 16 of almost 40 dogs kept locked away in squalor for years in a dilapidated Lakewood home, Health Department officials noticed something about the behavior of the animals which moved them.

The dogs were mesmerized by sunshine and the outdoors, and clamored for the windows in the shelter.

"In their previous environment, they were kept inside and there was no daylight in the home, everything was boarded up," explained Freeholder Gerry P. Little, who is liaison to the Health Department. "And the staff actually had to show them how to run outside. They played with them to get them normalized outside again."

Brian Lippai, who as departmental chief of administrative services manages the county's two animal shelters in Jackson and Stafford, said two of the dogs were named "Lady Liberty" and "Spirit" by staff, in celebration of their rescue from their previous owner who was hoarding the animals in her house on Spruce Street. Lippai said it was unclear how many years the animals had been locked up inside the house, but that conditions were so deplorable and disgusting inside, that there was no direct sunlight into the home and the owner herself had all but abandoned the house and was living in her car.

Indeed, Lorraine Healy, founder and president of Husky House, a Matawan-based animal rescue group, said at the time it was the worst case of animal hoarding she had ever encountered. There was not an inch of space within the home that was not soaked in urine and feces, and other muck. A Hazmat team had to be called in after several dogs were found hiding within the walls, rescuers recalled.

The dogs, mostly golden retrievers, border collies, huskies and other mixed breeds, were so caked in animal waste that it had hardened into a plaster-like material around their bodies that was inhibiting respiration, Lippai said.

"We got the dogs who were in the worst health," he said. "We had to shave off all of their fur so they could be able to breathe freely again."

"Brian assumed the care of these 16 animals," Little said. "They were in very, very poor condition health-wise and certainly in their emotional or behavioral state. ... All of the dogs were given medical examinations and brought up to date on all of their vaccinations by our veterinarian. ... They had lesions and infections."

Once the medical needs and hygiene of the animals were addressed, and as their health improved, Lippai took the dogs outside the shelter — where he had "to teach" them to be dogs again. The staff also tested the animals to see if the animals were suitable for adoption. No one was certain what kind of psychological toll their captivity and gross neglect had had on them. Lippai said he found them to be gentle and docile.

Since then, most of the dogs have been adopted.

"Some of them were neutered and spayed. They were given microchips. They received the best possible care and compassion that our Board of Health could provide," Little said. "These dogs were unsocial and they needed to have consistent care and socialization."

Erik Larsen: 732-682-9359 or elarsen@gannettnj.com