NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Queens man has been charged with housing nearly 30 sick and injured pit bulls in “dungeon-like” conditions as he bred them for fighting, prosecutors say.
Andrew Cato, 59, of Richmond Hill, was charged with three counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, 35 counts of prohibition of animal fighting, 27 counts of failure to provide proper food and drink to an impounded animal and 27 counts of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals in court on Tuesday, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a press release.
“Pets and animals are meant to be protected and nurtured,” Katz said in a statement. “This defendant, who allegedly told the police he was a breeder, kept 27 pit bulls in filthy and dungeon-like enclosures with little food, clean water, light or ventilation.”
“Several of the dogs bore dog bite wounds and scars typical of illegal dog fighting activities,” she added. “The animals have now been rescued from the deplorable conditions the defendant allegedly subjected them to and can no longer be bred for dog fighting.”
Police officers first responded to Cato’s home on July 28 after neighbors complained about barking and “bad smells,” Katz said in her release.
An officer who searched Cato’s backyard garage — which was not ventilated, smelled like feces and urine and was “infested by flies" — discovered 17 dogs that resembled pit bulls inside, the release said.
The dogs were all living in soiled “concrete enclosures” that didn’t have proper bedding, prosecutors said.
The officer found 10 more dogs living in soiled concrete enclosures in the basement of the house, according to prosecutors.
A breeding stand and three “break sticks,” which are used to “prevent… pit bulls from fighting when breeding,” were also found on the property, the DA’s office said.
Veterinarians and behavioral experts who examined the dogs discovered they all had “various medical ailments,” including scars that were “consistent with dog fighting,” prosecutors said.
The ASPCA rescued and removed the dogs from Cato’s property and “continues to provide ongoing medical and behavioral treatment and enrichment” for them, the release noted.
Cato’s attorney information wasn’t immediately available Wednesday.
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