Ex-workers: Home of dog breeder with 84 Great Danes filthy

OSSIPEE, N.H. (AP) — Former employees of a dog breeder testified Monday that her home’s floors were covered in dog urine and feces, and a police K9 officer said the property was such a mess it looked as though it had been burglarized before 84 Great Danes were seized in June.

Christina Fay went on trial Monday on 12 misdemeanor animal cruelty charges brought after the dogs were found living in filth and suffering from sores, infections and other health problems.

Former employee Marilyn Kelly described feces on the walls up to her waist and said she saw a dog with puncture wounds that Fay had stapled shut. The lead investigator, Officer Michael Strauch, said the filth was unbelievable and Fay’s bed was covered in urine.

Fay, who has pleaded not guilty, has said she took great care of her dogs. Testimony was to continue on Tuesday.

At a hearing earlier this month, Fay testified she trained as a veterinary technician and had worked for New York’s Bronx Zoo. Fay said she maintained a strict feeding, watering and exercise regimen for the dogs.

The first witness on Monday was a woman who worked for Fay for just one day. She described dogs freely wandering through the eight-bedroom mansion in Wolfeboro, maggots on floors and a refrigerator and feces that transformed the floor into an “ice skating rink.”

Kelly, who worked there for several weeks, testified the smell of urine and feces would make her eyes water and it was impossible for workers to keep the home clean.

Police say Fay ran a business from her home called De La Sang Monde Great Danes.

The dogs are now being cared for by the Humane Society of the United States, which estimates its costs likely will exceed $500,000.