PHOTOS: Helpless Newburgh Dogs Rescued After Alleged Neglect

Orange County, NY Sheriff Paul Arteta is urging Hudson Valley residents to remember their responsibilities to their pets after three small dogs were rescued in alleged case of severe neglect in Newburgh, NY.

What began as an eviction in the Town of Newburgh turned into a rescue operation after sheriff deputies discovered three shih tzu dogs "exhibiting an abnormal gait and appear[ing] to be in distress" (below).

Newburgh, NY Dogs Removed from Home After Alleged Neglect

The dogs, who deputies shared were covered in waste and extreme fur matting, were immediately removed from the home and handed over to Town of Newburgh Animal Control. The animals' condition was enough for deputies to file criminal charges.

Charges Filed Against Town of Newburgh, NY Residents for Alleged Neglect

Both residents of the home were charged under section 353 of New York's agriculture laws prohibiting "overdriving, torturing, and injuring animals [or] failure to provide proper sustenance":

A person who overdrives, overloads, tortures or
cruelly beats or unjustifiably injures, maims, mutilates or kills any animal, whether wild or tame, or deprives any animal of necessary sustenance, food or drink... or any act tending to produce such cruelty, is guilty of a class A misdemeanor

Dangers of Fur Matting in Dogs

Some dogs, like shih tzus, have hair that continually grows. This means that un-brushed and/or uncut shih tzus (and similar dogs with growing or long hair) can develop painful matting quite quickly.

While even minor matting can cause headaches and painful skin, more severe cases can also impede the dog's ability to see or even walk. The shih tzu owners were released after processing with appearance tickets for the Town of Newburgh court.