Dog breeder who kept 84 Great Danes in filthy US mansion filled with faeces is found guilty of animal cruelty

A dog owner has been found guilty of animal cruelty after keeping 84 Great Danes in disgustingly filthy conditions in her US mansion.

Dozens of dogs were found in cages and roaming about the three-floor home in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, which had sickening piles of weeks-old faeces and urine all over the floor.

Dog breeder Christina Fay pleaded not guilty to the 10 charges of animal cruelty, claiming she loved the animals and compared them to an art collection.

But Judge Charles Greenhalgh said the cages and living areas “were covered with an accumulation of faeces and urine days or weeks old. The dogs had to walk in and lay down in the waste covering the floor”.

“In addition, there was a pervasive ammonia odour, so strong that veterinarians and others with experience working in kennels, and with large groups of animals, were unable to remain in the home without taking frequent breaks to get fresh air.

“The dogs were forced to live in filthy, unsanitary conditions. Some were lying for many days in their own faeces and urine and it was covering their coats.”

The conditions were so dirty that the dogs suffered health problems including infections, the court heard.

The 84 dogs were seized from Ms Fay’s home in June.

She said she wanted to be the primary US collector of European Great Danes, which she had been acquiring to breed and sell since 2014.

Fay initially was charged with 12 misdemeanour charges, but Judge Greenhalgh dismissed two last month. In his ruling, he found the evidence showed Fay didn't provide proper care or shelter for the dogs.Judge Greenhalgh said Fay appeared to be devoted to her dogs but started struggling in April when she suffered a knee injury and couldn’t move about easily.

Her lawyers said in a statement: “Mrs Fay's primary concern at present is the welfare of the dogs, who remain her property and have been held for six months post seizure as of this coming Saturday.

"Mrs. Fay looks forward to the next step in the process."

Fay will be sentenced in the next 30 days.

While Greenhalgh noted that Fay appears to have been devoted to her dogs, he also said she started having difficulty in April, when she suffered a knee injury and couldn't move about easily. She also started losing staffers and was unable to replace them.