SPCA: Dogs in 'deplorable conditions'

A Port Jefferson man was charged with four counts of animal cruelty after investigators said they found four huskies living in "deplorable conditions."

Robert Campbell, 44, of Oakwood Road was charged by Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals investigators after an inspection Sunday of the house where he and the dogs were living.

SPCA Chief Roy Gross said fire officials from the Port Jefferson Fire Department alerted police and the agency to the conditions inside the house after a fire there.

The dogs were "forced to live in their own feces and urine," Gross said in a statement. He said that conditions were so terrible that officials condemned the house.

"There was a fire inside the house," Gross said, "and the fire department found these deplorable conditions. Our detectives responded and said that, basically, there wasn't a place to walk without stepping in feces or urine."

The four adult dogs, two males and two females, were taken to a shelter and are being evaluated, Gross said.

Campbell was given an appearance ticket returnable to First District Court and faces up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine on each of the four misdemeanor counts.

He could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.