Man arraigned after dog found starving and another found dead at Ontario County home

UPDATE: Staff at Happy Tails Animal Shelter say they initially received a complaint reporting that two dogs were abandoned at a home located along Route 20 and State Highway 5 in the town of Stanley.

The shelter said it was reported the tenants had moved out of the home one month before receiving the complaint and that, along with no food and water, investigators found feces covering the floor of the home.

One dog was found dead upstairs, believed to have starved to death. Shelter Coordinator Erika Murphy said that the other dog, named Midnight, is now in the humane society’s care.

“She’s been through a lot,” Murphy said. “She’s experiencing a lot of trauma and upheaval right now, but underneath you can tell that she is super sweet. She is super wiggly and loves snacks.”

According to the Ontario County Humane Society, the investigation into what happened is being handled by New York State Police.

The shelter said that Jose Figueroa was arrested and charged with aggravated cruelty to an animal.

STANLEY, N.Y. – The Ontario County Humane Society says a dog was found dead and decomposing and another was found starving at a home in the Town of Stanley. The dogs went weeks without access to clean food and water.

We all know time is a precious commodity. That’s exactly what staff at Happy Tails Animal Shelter in Ontario County say would make the most impact when it comes to helping abused animals.

Staff at Happy Tails Animal Shelter said they initially received a complaint reporting that two dogs were abandoned at a home located along Route 20 and State Highway 5 in the town of Stanley.

Springing into action, Kennel Attendant Jesse Halstead said rescuing dogs like Midnight is what motivates him to show up for every day.  

“The work we do here is not an abstraction,” says Halstead. “Dogs need to be fed. dogs need to be cleaned up after. it is real. it is tangible. there is meaning in it.”

A spirit that he said is contagious, as soon as you help dogs like Midnight. 

“We could always use volunteers doing things that you might not even think of as not even think of as necessarily ‘working with animals.’ We generate a lot of laundry. we generate a lot of dishes,” says Halstead.

Arriving at the shelter after nearly starving to death, Shelter Coordinator Erika Murphy said Midnight has defied the odds.

“So whenever a victim of cruelty comes into the shelter, they are evaluated by a vet initially to get a base level for kind of what their condition is. they get a lot of love. A lot TLC,” says Murphy.

The Humane Society responded to the home at 1910 Route 5 & 20 on Thursday afternoon after getting reports of the abandoned dogs. They found feces “covering the floor” and garbage piling up on the porch.

The Humane Society said the dog who starved to death was named Apex. The body of the 4-year-old German Shepherd was found in the upstairs bedroom. His body was taken to Cornell University for a necropsy.

The dog who survived is named Midnight, a 2-year-old Husky mix. 

She is under the care of the Humane Society, where she received veterinary care and is recovering.

Joshua Figueroa is charged with felony aggravated cruelty to animals and abandonment of animals. The investigation is being handled by New York State Police.