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SELDEN, N.Y. A mother of seven is accused of running a house of horrors for pets at her Long Island home, forcing her children to help torture them and burying at least 20 dogs in her backyard - animals that neighbors now fear were their pets that mysteriously disappeared over the years.
Sharon McDonough pleaded not guilty last week to six counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty on suspicion of abusing five dogs and a cat found crammed into cages, covered in feces and urine, their coats matted with filth. A judge has taken away custody of the 43-year-old woman's six young daughters.
McDonough's neighbors began fearing their missing pets met a worse fate than the abused animals after her son led officials to a back yard filled with the shallow graves of 20 dogs.
Douglas McDonough, 21, who turned his mother in to authorities Nov. 5, called the home "a concentration camp for the animals" in comments to reporters after the arrest.
"She would have the oldest kids hold down the dog while we duct-taped his mouth and she would hit him," he said, adding that he and his sisters were all forced to take part in the abuse.
On Tuesday, a judge removed the six girls - ages 18 months to 13 years - from the custody of McDonough, who is widowed. Her court-appointed attorney, James D'Angelo, called the animal cruelty counts a "low-level offense."
"She's not charged with killing animals and is entitled to a presumption of innocence," he said. No one answered the door at McDonough's home this week.
Dozens of people have called the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals since the case broke, fearing their missing pets had been victimized, Suffolk County SPCA Chief Roy Gross said.
"My daughter is still crying every day over her lost Chihuahua," said neighbor Sharyn Padula of the family's dog Bally, who disappeared just over a year ago. Two cats, Annabelle and Sylvester, also went missing.
After the dog disappeared, the family "posted pictures everywhere, Craigslist, and went doorbell to doorbell asking people if they'd seen him," said Padula, who lives a few houses from McDonough. "I really hope they don't find my pets there."
Since the dog carcasses were found, vandals have spray-painted "killer" on McDonough's garage and "guilty" on her mailbox. Rotten eggs were splattered on the house and on an SUV parked outside. A New York tabloid has dubbed her the "Cruella De Vil of Long Island."
It wasn't clear why McDonough's son waited until last week to alert authorities.
Padula said she hopes the necropsies do not turn up her Chihuahua or other pets.
"I'd rather think that they're wandering around still," she said. "I don't even want to imagine."
