On Wednesday, October 10, Ulster County SPCA Humane Officers arrested Wendy P. Ayuso, owner of the Fins and Feather Pet Store located on Route 209 in Ellenville, and charged her with 25 counts of animal cruelty.

The UCSPCA's Humane Officers, acting on a written complaint that had raised concerns about the living conditions of the shop's animals, conducted an undercover investigation some days prior to Wednesday's action. The officers confirmed that the store's conditions were substandard.

The 10 a.m. raid on the store resulted in the SPCA's seizure of 112 animals and 386 fish. The seized animals included birds, guinea pigs, a chinchilla, hamsters, gerbils, mice, rats, lizards, geckos and snakes.

While other newspapers have claimed that “several dead rodents were found in cages with live animals,” officers at the scene told the Ellenville Journal that they had found one domesticated rodent known as a 'degu' dead in its cage with another in ill health. Officers said they found overcrowded cages, with 13 gerbils in one small cage and 9 parakeets in another. In addition, officers said they saw animal cages and fish tanks filled with feces and animals with open sores.

According to a press release issued by the UCSPCA, Ayuso made a voluntary statement to Humane Officer Keith Kovacs, saying that she was sorry for any harm caused to the animals. Kovacs agreed to reduce the charges against Ayuso from 200 counts to 25 counts in exchange for signing over custody of the animals to the SPCA.

The organization will make the animals available for adoption after it treats, evaluates, and quarantines the animals for a period of time to be sure of their health. The seizure of the animals is part of ongoing efforts by the Ulster County SPCA to end animal cruelty.

Following the raid, Wendy P. Ayuso was arrested and charged with 25 counts of animal cruelty. Ayuso was arraigned Ellenville Village Court and released on her own recognizance. The UCSPCA declined to say whether Ayuso's charges were misdemeanors or felonies. The group did say that the charges against Ayuso are punishable by fine, imprisonment or both.

* * * Ayuso's family members, who stopped by the scene of the raid on Wednesday, were outraged at the UCSPCA's treatment.

One relative, Carol Shorter, argued that Ayuso is a consummate pet lover, saying, “That pet shop is her life.”

The family members said Ayuso, a resident of Liberty, purchased the store with her husband prior to his death so that she would have a means to support herself.

They went on to describe, what they felt, were several examples of Ayuso's love of animals as they recounted a series of adoptions of local animals that had been given up for dead by owners that Ayuso had nursed back to health.

“She loves animals. She doesn't turn any of them away, no matter what shape they're in,” added Shorter.

Ayuso's mother, Theresa Ziegler, asked why the UCSPCA had not given Ayuso a list of problems to remedy over a short period of time rather than just arresting her.

Calls to the UCSPCA were not returned at press time.

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