The New York Police Department made a disturbing discovery at an abandoned apartment in Forest Hills, Queens, on May 8. After the tenant was evicted, NYPD, ASPCA, and NYC’s Animal Care Centers reported to the seventh-floor, one bedroom apartment where they discovered a horrifying scene. Inside the space, there were 48 Belgian Malinois dogs. Dogs were living in closets, cages, and even kitchen drawers. In addition to the overcrowding, the apartment was in a state of severe disrepair. The floor was slathered in feces and the smell of ammonia was so strong, rescuers struggled to breathe in the residence.
The dogs were in bad shape.
Living in such unsafe and unsanitary conditions, many of the dogs required medical attention, People reports. They were malnourished, matted, and clinging to life. Three were so unwell that they had to be euthanized. The man responsible, Isaac Yadgarov, turned himself in to authorities. The 37-year-old faces 96 misdemeanor charges of animal neglect and failure to provide proper sustenance, a statement from the Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz read.
Yadgarov said he planned to surrender the dogs.
“The defendant is accused of keeping dozens of dogs in unsanitary and deplorable conditions, unable to move freely and surrounded by filth,” the statement read. “Animals are voiceless and vulnerable and deserve to be treated with basic care and decency.” Yadgarov told investigators that he planned to surrender the dogs voluntarily but after his eviction, he disappeared.
He faces up to a year in prison.
A judge charged Yadgarov with 48 counts of overloading, overdriving, torturing animals. The additional charges were about his failure to provide adequate food, water, and shelter. The judge ordered Yardgarov return to court on August 5. If found guilty, he could face up to a year in prison, the statement read.
Professionals are socializing the dogs for possible adoption.
Now, the dogs are in the care of local shelters where they are being treated and properly fed. A part of their treatment includes socialization in preparation for possible foster homes or adoption. Rescuers believe the recovery for many of them will not be an easy one. “They’ve suffered so much,” one official said in an ASPCA statement. “But at least they’re safe now.”
