House of Dead and Dying Dogs Razed

Village officials decided to raze the Clinton Avenue home where 17 malnourished dogs, along with five dead animals, were found after the mentally unstable woman who lived there broke back into the home on Friday, village officials said.

According to Village Spokesman Jeff Kluewer the unnamed woman, who was receiving mental health treatment at a local hospital after the January incident, was released earlier today. The building department, which closed the home at 83 Clinton Ave. and deemed it unlivable, received a tip that someone was in it, Kluewer said. When building department officials showed up, he added, they found the woman in the house with a small puppy.

Several agencies responded to the scene, including the village's police, fire and building departments, as well Nassau County ambulances and the Town of Hempstead Animal Control.

The mentally unstable woman was taken to a local hospital for mental medical attention and the puppy was taken by town Animal Control. "With the concurrence of the fire and building departments, the house was declared to be an immediate hazard to public health and safety," Kluewer said. "So we ordered its demolition."

Building Superintendent Dan Casella said the demolition will continue through tomorrow, and cleanup should be done within the next few days.

On January 13, officials found 17 dogs, along with four dead dogs and a dead cat, in the Clinton Avenue home. The surviving dogs were urine soaked and their fur was matted and filthy. Shelter staff removed 10 pounds of matted hair from the rescued animals. Many of the dogs suffered from ear infections and eye irritations from the home's poor air quality.