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Suffolk SPCA: Centereach Man Charged after Forcing His Eleven Dogs to Live in Horrifically Filthy Conditions

Written by Chris Boyle  |  25. November 2024

Detectives from the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals charged a Centereach man with neglecting to maintain a sanitary environment for his eleven dogs. Roy Gross, Chief of the Suffolk SPCA, said that its Detectives charged Christopher DiGiovanna, 42, with multiple misdemeanor animal cruelty charges, alleging that DiGiovanna failed to provide a habitable living environment to the animals in his residence. 
 
Chief Gross states that on November 23, 2024 on or about 4:30 PM, members of the Suffolk County SPCA, Suffolk County Police Department, Town of Brookhaven Animal Control and Code Enforcement executed a search warrant on DiGiovanna's Centereach residence after receiving a complaint about the living conditions causing the animals distress. Eleven dogs were recovered from the residence, some underweight, filthy, flea ridden, ungroomed, and covered in urine. The air was so noxious with ammonia from urine, feces, mold, and mildew that it stung investigators eyes and throats making it difficult to breathe. Fly excrement and cobwebs covered the interior of the home’s walls and ceilings. Rats scurried about inside the broken out portions of the walls and floors. Ten of the dogs were confined to a small bedroom on urine and feces-soaked sheets with live electrical wires exposed, hypodermic needles, and other drug paraphernalia strewn about. 
 
At least two of the dog’s upon preliminary examination tested presumptive positive for cocaine exposure. The property was deemed unfit for human occupancy by Code Officials. The dogs will be available for adoption to the public upon medical recovery. DiGiovanna was arrested during the search warrant execution on November 23rd, 2024, booked, and held in police custody on two active arrest warrants for unrelated cases.
 
DiGiovanna is scheduled to appear in First District Court In Central Islip on November 25, 2024.
 
The Suffolk County SPCA remains committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all animals in the county. If you witness any incident of animal cruelty or neglect in Suffolk County, please contact the Suffolk County SPCA at 631-382-7722.
 
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
 

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