A Long Island man from Riverhead, New York has been arrested after allegedly shooting two of his German Shepherd dogs in the head with a rifle. This disturbing incident led authorities to the discovery of an illegal slaughterhouse operation on his property. The man, identified as Carlos Lauro, 76, was taken into custody after one of the injured dogs, a one-year-old named Blitzkrieg, was brought to a local veterinarian hospital. The dog was found paralyzed with a gunshot wound to the head, along with a deceased goat on Lauro’s property.
In addition to the shooting of the dogs, Lauro allegedly killed a 6-month-old puppy named Cranky a month earlier. The police also found eight other dogs, as well as numerous pigs, cows, and chickens living in deplorable conditions without access to clean food and water. Several lifeless farm animals, including a baby goat and pig, were discovered on the premises, and the circumstances surrounding their deaths are currently under investigation.
The Executive Director of Humane Long Island, John Di Leonardo, described the scene as sick and injured animals living amongst the corpses of their friends. His organization reported the observation of the illegal slaughterhouse to the New York State’s Agriculture and Markets last year, expressing the belief that prompt action could have saved the lives of the dogs.
Lauro faces charges of aggravated animal cruelty and neglect of impounded animals. He has been ordered to be held without bail. The rescued animals are under the care of organizations that specialize in animal cruelty treatment, as they attempt to nurse them back to health. The next court appearance for Lauro is scheduled for January 17th.