HANOVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Police have charged a Washington County woman with animal cruelty after multiple dogs were found in deplorable conditions.
Court records obtained by Channel 11 show officers received a complaint on May 28 about animals being kept in poor conditions at a property along Five Points Road in Hanover Township.
Police say the property contained a kennel building. A total of 19 dogs were allegedly kept in compromised air quality due to ammonia and a large amount of feces.
The dogs did not have appropriate beds, with many having a single empty dog food bag to lie on, records say.
Fifteen Yorkshire terriers had very matted coats of hair, police say, including one with an “almost turtle shell” made of caked feces on its body.
Of the nine terriers surrendered to the Washington Area Humane Society, seven reportedly had ear infections, and all were infected with the intestinal parasite whipworm.
Also, a dog had frozen to death over the winter because a pellet stove couldn’t be lit to heat the kennel building, records say. The dog’s body remained in the kennel for roughly six months after its death.
Online court records show the kennel’s alleged owner, 42-year-old Kayla Marie Rigole, was charged with one count of aggravated cruelty to animals, 19 counts of animal cruelty and 36 counts of animal neglect.
Rigole told police that she’d been unable to take care of the kennel due to personal health and maintenance issues, records say.
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