44 animals found in elderly woman's home

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BUFFALO, N.Y., April 14 (UPI) -- An elderly New York woman was being mentally assessed after 44 dogs, cats, chickens and geese were found in her home and garage, an animal-welfare officer said.

The unidentified woman would probably not be charged with animal cruelty if she gave up ownership of the pets to the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals office, Erie County SPCA spokeswoman Gina Browning said.

Inspectors discovered 16 cats and six dogs in the East Concord, N.Y., home and 20 chickens and two geese living in an attached garage, Browning said.

The dogs and cats had burrowed through their own feces, and in some areas had eaten through the walls of the house.

"The fact that they were eating through the walls and burrowing through feces makes this so sad," Browning told The Buffalo (N.Y.) News.

The animals were taken to an SPCA shelter for medical examinations, she said.