03-04-2025
Auburn Police: Dog rescued from abuse will have to ‘wear boots on her paws for the rest of her life'
AUBURN, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — An animal abuse complaint to the Auburn Police Department led investigators to a home where two dogs suffered at the hands of their owners, who have now been charged.
On Wednesday, March 19, around 2 p.m., Auburn Police were sent to a home on N. Division Street for reported animal abuse.
'It was reported that two dogs had been living in cruel and inhumane conditions, spending all day in crates,' police said.
A two-week investigation across multiple agencies, including a member from the New York State Humane Animal Association Animal Cruelty Task Force, revealed that the dogs' names were found to be Stella and Paula.
Stella is a 2-year-old small pit bull mix, and Paula, an 8-year-old Chihuahua mix. According to police, both dogs were abandoned and not adequately fed or checked on during a 10-day period.
'It was learned through the investigation that Stella had lived in a crate too small for a dog her size for most of her life. It was also learned that Stella's owners failed to provide adequate sustenance by depriving her of food since at least November of 2024,' explained police.
However, the condition of Stella's crate caused her to lose her paw pads. She was found with swollen and infected paws and a loss of hair and was very malnourished and underweight.
'Stella was not able to take more than two steps on her own when removed from the crate and will have to wear boots on her paws for the rest of her life,' continued Auburn Police.
Owners of Stella and Paula, Laura L. Hendrickson and Kenneth D. Sulgar, were found and charged with the following:
Aggravated cruelty to animals, a felony
Overdriving, torturing, and injuring animals; failure to provide proper sustenance (two counts), a misdemeanor
Abandonment of animals (two counts), a misdemeanor
Failure to provide proper food and drink to an impounded animal, a misdemeanor
Both defendants were processed at the Auburn Police Department Headquarters and released with appearance tickets.
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