NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A Long Island man was charged with animal cruelty for failing to provide a sanitary living environment for his 11 dogs, the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals announced Monday.
Christopher DiGiovanna, 42, faces multiple misdemeanor charges for neglecting to maintain habitable conditions for the animals in his Centereach home, according to Suffolk SPCA Chief Roy Gross.
On Nov. 23, around 4:30 p.m., police executed a search warrant at DiGiovanna’s residence following a complaint about the dogs’ living conditions. Investigators found 11 dogs in distress—some underweight, filthy, flea-infested, and covered in urine.
“The air inside the home was so noxious with ammonia from urine, feces, mold, and mildew that it stung investigators’ eyes and throats, making it difficult to breathe,” Gross said.
The interior was covered in fly excrement and cobwebs, with rats scurrying through broken walls and floors. Ten dogs were confined to a small bedroom with urine- and feces-soaked sheets, exposed electrical wires, hypodermic needles, and drug paraphernalia scattered around, according to the Suffolk SPCA.
Preliminary tests showed at least two dogs were presumptive positive for cocaine exposure. The property was deemed unfit for human occupancy.
The dogs were removed from the home and will be available for adoption once they recover medically.
DiGiovanna was arrested during the search and remains in police custody on two active warrants for unrelated cases.