A woman was living in a van with more than 20 dogs and a parrot was charged with animal cruelty, according to police, and they said several of the dogs might need to be euthanized.
Wethersfield police said an officer stopped a Ford Transit van around 9:30 a.m. Monday on Silas Deane Highway because the vehicle was swerving.
The officer who spoke with the driver, identified as 59-year-old Suzanne Eser, of Peabody, Massachusetts, was “overwhelmed by the smell of feces and urine” and noticed at least nine small dogs in the front of the van, according to a news release from police.
Animal control officers from the Newington and Rocky Hill Police Departments were called in and 21 dogs and a macaw were removed from the van and brought to CT Canine on Maple Hill Avenue in Newington to be evaluated, police said.
Police said the dogs were essentially living in feces and urine and were not properly cared for and several might need to be euthanized.
The van was towed and Eser was brought to Wethersfield Police Headquarters and charged with cruelty to animals and misuse of a marker plate.
She was released on a $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court in New Britain on June 11.
