N.Y. woman accused of killing dogs

BROOKHAVEN, N.Y., Nov. 9 (UPI) -- A woman in Selden, N.Y., is facing animal cruelty charges for allegedly killing more than 20 dogs and burying them in her backyard, her son said.

Sharon McDonough's son, Doug, alleges his mother routinely went on a "power trip" by purchasing a dog and eventually deciding to kill the animal and add it to the makeshift animal graveyard behind her home, the New York Post said Monday.

"She would buy the dog, treat it like it was the greatest dog in the world for a few days, then they would sit in the cage until she decided to kill them," McDonough's son alleges. "It was a power trip."

The remains of the dogs were unearthed on McDonough's home by authorities, leading to misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty against the Selden woman.

Officials said the charges could become felony counts if authorities determine the animals were intentionally killed by McDonough.

The animals' remains were located after her son informed the TV series "Rescue Ink," whose officials promptly informed the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Suffolk County, N.Y.

The Post said McDonough pleaded innocent to the animal cruelty charges.