Deerpark rescue removes 23 Yorkies, 2 macaws from condemned home

Humane law enforcement officers and Deerpark police removed 23 Yorkshire terriers, including four puppies, and two macaws from a condemned home on Old Country Road in Sparrowbush after investigators said they found filthy breeding conditions inside.

The rescue happened April 10 and centered on a property the Town of Deerpark Building Department later condemned. Officials said the animals were living amid feces, urine and extremely high ammonia levels, conditions Gene Hect of the Hudson Valley SPCA called among the worst he has seen in 17 years.

SPCA president Joan Kay described the case as a hoarding and breeding operation, and officials said the animals were surrendered by the owners. For now, it remains unclear whether criminal charges will be filed. The Hudson Valley SPCA, which says it is the only source of humane law enforcement in Orange County, handled the case with Deerpark Police because the agency is the county’s designated humane enforcement arm.

The seizure appears to stretch beyond Orange County. The SPCA said more than 50 additional animals in New Jersey were tied to the same situation, pointing to a broader breeding and sales network that crossed state lines. Hect said the dogs were being sold for $1,500 to $5,000 each, a price tag that gives the case a clear financial dimension as well as an animal-cruelty one.

Many of the rescued animals are now being treated for infections in their ears, eyes and paws. The SPCA said the care comes at a difficult moment financially, with donations down and veterinary bills piling up as the organization says it has rescued more than 3,000 animals this year.

Orange County has seen similar enforcement actions before. In Warwick, authorities seized 84 animals from a home in a separate animal-cruelty case last year, underscoring how overcrowded and neglected animal holdings continue to surface in the county. In Sparrowbush, the condemned house is now at the center of an investigation that ties local police, building-code enforcement and humane officers to a case with both public-safety and animal-welfare stakes.