Stafford Resident Facing Animal Cruelty Charges

STAFFORD, CT — A 37-year-old Stafford resident has been charged with animal cruelty after authorities found her dogs exposed to hazardous materials, filthy conditions and a raccoon carcass that later tested positive for rabies, according to a warrant.

Tracy Hughes was also charged on the warrant with a rabies vaccination violation and failure to comply with dog ownership requirements, records show. She is due in court on Feb. 21, records show.

Cruelty to animals is a felony in Connecticut.

According to a warrant, a state police investigation began on March 3, when the Stafford Animal Control Division received a complaint about unattended dogs at a home on the 100 block of Old Springfield Road. When state police arrived at the home, they immediately noticed two dogs owned by Hughes "running about" a driveway in close proximity to a dead raccoon. The dogs seemed hungry and willingly jumped into the animal control vehicle and ate several treats, according to a warrant. The temperature was 37 degrees and the dogs were being kept in an unheated garage, according to a warrant.

Hughes was vague with authorities about how long the dogs had been staying in the garage but did say they were not vaccinated against rabies, according to a warrant.

Animal control then assumed possession of the dogs because of conditions that included no available or reachable food or water, uncapped gas containers and containers of oil and car wash solution that could have been accessed by the dogs, according to a warrant. The only sleeping area for the dogs was a section of garage floor full of feces and urine and the dogs appeared to have been scratching at a door in an effort to "gain access to the main living area" of the home, according to a warrant.

After being taken into custody, one dog consumed 5 gallons of water and still was "slightly dehydrated," according to a warrant. The second dog showed similar signs after drinking a considerable amount of water, according to a warrant.

The dogs had to be placed in six-month quarantines after the raccoon carcass tested positive for rabies, according to a warrant.

They were eating regularly and were showing signs of recovery while in the custody of the animal control division, according to the warrant. They have since been placed in new homes and are "doing great," animal control officials said.