In a disturbing discovery at a Long Island home, police said nearly a dozen dogs were found living in deplorable conditions, with some of the canines testing positive for cocaine.
A tip led the Suffolk SPCA and Suffolk County police to execute a search warrant around 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the dilapidated home in Centereach, where investigators found 11 dogs that had been exposed to, among other things, drugs and drug paraphernalia.
Crews on Tuesday were boarding up the Brookhaven house that has since been condemned. A neighbor said that a father and son had been living there.
"They’ve had rats running up and down that blanket, using it as a highway into the house," said Kevin DiMangano, pointing to an open window with what appeared to be a bed comforter coming out of it. Rats could be seen scurrying around inside broken parts of the walls and floors.
DiMangano said he had heard dogs barking and saw signs of trouble, like the overgrown yard outside the house. But he never suspected what SPCA officers found inside, with the group saying that the air was so noxious from ammonia coming from urine, feces, mold and mildew that it stung investigators eyes and throats, making it difficult to breathe.
"The smell could just knock you over. It was that bad," said SPCA Chief Roy Gross.
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Christopher DiGiovanna, who was found hiding inside, was arrested on animal cruelty charges.
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Rescued from the filth and feces were 10 chihuahuas and a St. Bernard, according to Gross. Most of the dogs were left confined to just one small bedroom that had live electrical wires exposed and hypodermic needles strewn about. Some were underweight, flea-ridden, ungroomed and covered in urine, the SPCA said.
Shockingly, two of the chihuahuas tested positive for cocaine, according to Gross.
"I can’t say if he gave it to them purposely or they just got into his stash. I don’t know. But they did test positive," said Gross, noting investigators did find drug paraphernalia among the garbage inside.
"Leaving stuff out like that, whether it’s animals or children, it could be deadly," Gross said.
"Chihuahuas on cocaine doesn’t seem like the best thing to have. It was shocking, yes. Definitely shocking," DiMangano said.
The dogs who survived living in the horrific conditions were brought to rescue groups like the Little Shelter in Huntington.
The SPCA says it was the 17th hoarder house to be shut down in Suffolk County in 2024 alone. Officials are urging residents who suspect situations like this in a neighbors home to call authorities immediately for help.
