Warrant Outlines 'Uninhabitable' Fairfield Home In Animal Cruelty Case

FAIRFIELD, CT — Starvation, dehydration, "and deprivation to basic rights of sanitation," are what authorities said the 48 animals seized from a home on Steep Hill Road in Southport were subjected to, according to the Fairfield police arrest warrant of Glorianne Lagnese.

Last week, Lagnese, who runs a registered animal rescue called Super Paws Rescue, was charged with 48 counts of animal cruelty in connection with the case, and her first court appearance in Bridgeport is scheduled for Friday.

Fairfield police were alerted to the case on April 22, when a neighbor said she found an untagged dog wandering on a nearby road the day before. That person took in the dog for the night, and gave it a bath, because "its fur was matted and smelled strongly of urine."

That same day, Lagnese contacted Fairfield Animal Control that one of her dogs was missing, according to the warrant. She was told that the dog was with authorities, who also told her of the reported condition when the animal was found.

"Lagnese replied she was not aware the dog smelled," police wrote in the warrant.

The discovery prompted Animal Control officers to schedule a "welfare check" visit to Lagnese's home the next day.

At that time, the officers found "multiple piles of clutter/garbage in the driveway," and three small dogs in a fenced area by the front door. It was raining that day, but the dogs were not covered, according to police, and "about 3 or 4 small piles of feces" were found in the fenced area.

Next, 10 small dogs and 10 cats were found in rack-type cages in the garage, according to the warrant.

"[The officer] also noted that the [garage] smelled strongly of feces and urine, and that there were no fans or ventilation in the room," police wrote.

The cages were considered to be small, even though the animals could stand and turn around in them.

"Some of the dog cages had urine and feces inside them and due to the small size of the cages, the dogs were stepping in and lying in their own excrement," police said, though Lagnese reportedly said that the cages were in the process of being cleaned.

The cats were seen in similar circumstances, with them having to sit in their dirty litter boxes. Additionally, most of the animals were seen with empty water bowls in their cages, according to police.

During that initial welfare check, Lagnese would not allow authorities to see her personal dogs and cats, which totaled about a dozen, that were in her home. As a result, police had to get a search warrant.

When authorities returned for the warranted search on April 28, they found a home in disarray.

"It should be noted that the house was extremely cluttered with various items and trash making it difficult to navigate, and the home had a strong scent of urine/ammonia," police wrote. "Numerous piles of animal feces were also on the floor in multiple rooms."

During that search on the 28th, police found many of them in the basement, most in cages, where the stench of feces, urine and ammonia was so thick that it was "very difficult to breathe."

"All of the animal's cages had fecal matter and urine inside forcing the animals to walk and lay in it," police wrote. The food and water bowls were either empty or contained what appeared to be old food and were also covered in fecal matter."

Authorities seized 47 dogs and cats, plus the initial dog found by the neighbor. Several feral cats had to be left behind, due to to the clutter in home making it too difficult to capture them. Also, some of the feral cats had made homes in the walls and ceilings.

Police notified the Fairfield Health Department, and after one walk-through, officials condemned the property.

The veterinarian and staff at Highway Animal Hospital checked out the animals, and prepared a 50-page report for police on their conditions. They suffered from "prolonged exposure to urine and feces with staining and matted coats," and many had trouble walking properly due to overgrown nails.

Police tried to interview Lagnese about the situation, but she declined under advise by counsel.

Lagnese then surrendered to police last week and was charged with the 48 counts of animal cruelty.

She is scheduled to appear in court in Bridgeport on Friday.