Animals recovering, Mohawk Hudson shelter says
COLONIE — The more than 100 animals found in crowded and filthy conditions in a raid last month are recovering, according to the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society.
In a statement on Friday, the Menands animal shelter said Sprite, a three-monthold puppy found unresponsive during the Jan. 17 raid on the Empawthy Animal Rescue Inc. home-based nonprofit in Latham, is now running around in her foster home. The animals overall, the statement said, “are gaining weight and strength and headed in the right direction.”
Empawthy’s rescue operators surrendered to Colonie police the day of the raid and were arraigned on counts of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals under state Agriculture and Markets law, a misdemeanor, according to Mohawk Hudson.
During last month’s raid, 47 dogs, 52 cats and three ferrets were seized by Mohawk
Hudson peace officers, along with Colonie police and animal control officers. Another 15 cats and a rabbit were found dead in a freezer. According to Mohawk Hudson, animals were stacked in crates and confined within their own waste — with some unable to access food or water.
In a previous interview with the Times Union, an Empawthy rescue operator said the group had received a shipment of animals earlier in the week from a closing shelter in Texas. The dead animals in the freezer were being stored for cremation, said the operator, who called allegations by Mohawk Hudson “sensationalized.” According to the operator, animals that arrived were meant to be sent to fosters and adopters. The rescue operator agreed the number of animals at the home “wasn’t ideal.”
With Empawthy Animal Rescue closed, foster parents will need to handle any follow-up care independently, Mohawk Hudson said Friday.
The humane society said animals adopted from Empawthy should be examined by veterinarians. Conditions
found in seized animals often include giardia, coccidia, Lyme disease, hookworm, heartworm and
ringworm, the group said.
“MHHS will assist with vaccination follow-up and spay and neuter surgery, and
potentially provide missing veterinary records for some of the animals from out-ofstate,” the statement said.