Queens man charged with animal cruelty after cops rescue 27 pit bulls from filthy cages in garage, basement
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A Queens man kept 27 pit bulls in grimy “dungeonlike” cages, torturing and abusing them while training them for illegal dogfighting, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Andrew Cato, 59, was slapped with 92 animal cruelty and dog-fighting offenses, and could face up to four years behind bars, prosecutors said. The dogs were rescued late last month.
Cato bred pit bulls for fighting, keeping them in “filthy and dungeonlike enclosures with little food, clean water, light, or ventilation,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Wednesday. “Several of the dogs bore dog bite wounds and scars typical of illegal dogfighting activities.”
Neighbors’ complaints about barking and foul odors led cops to a home on 95th Ave. at 130th St. in South Richmond Hill on July 28, prosecutors said.
Cato identified himself as a breeder, and said he started raising dogs so he could make money during the pandemic, according to a criminal complaint.
“These are my dogs. The pandemic hit and I got a new job,” he said, according to a complaint. “I’ve been working a lot. I breed dogs and sell them.”
He directed Detective Tara Cuccias of the NYPD’s Special Investigations Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad, to a backyard garage, where she found 17 pit bulls. The pups were housed in concrete enclosures without proper bedding and soiled with urine and feces, prosecutors said. She found only dirty water available inside five of the enclosures.*ENU*
Cato then took the detective to the basement, where she found 10 more pit bulls, circled by flies and in similar horrendous conditions, with no fans or air conditioning and little ventilation. Five of the enclosures had food and water contaminated by urine and feces, and none had fresh water.
The detective also found a breeding stand that’s used to immobilize a female dog, and three “break sticks” that force open a dog’s jaws.
The ASPCA helped rescue the dogs and is providing medical and behavioral treatment.
“The animals have now been rescued from the deplorable conditions the defendant allegedly subjected them to and can no longer be bred for dogfighting,” Katz said.
Cato was arraigned Tuesday and ordered released without bail. His lawyer didn’t immediately return a request for comment Wednesday night.
