45 Pets Rescued From Animal Shelter President’s Home in ‘Deplorable Conditions’

On Thursday, authorities — with the help of several local animal welfare groups — executed a search warrant at the home of Geralyn Serino, the president of a New Jersey organization called Lost Paws Animal Rescue. Inside, they found 45 cats and dogs living in crowded, filthy, and neglectful conditions.

The community had been uneasy about Serino’s operation for months. Lost Paws Animal Rescue regularly held adoption events, and potential adopters who encountered the pets could tell something was wrong. “There was a lot of concern — they saw the animals that she had for adoption were in horrific condition,” Annie Trinkle, the founder and executive director of Animal Alliance, a group that assisted with the rescue, told Central New Jersey News.

Concerned locals started a Change.Org petition called “Shut Down Lost Paws Animal Rescue in Pittstown, NJ.” In the description, the petition creator described witnessing animal arriving to events in a “heartbreaking state,” covered in feces and showing signs of neglect. “They arrive at adoption events filthy and malnourished, and yet the excuse is always the same: they had an accident on the way,” the petition creator wrote. “This is not about a rare mishap, but rather a continued pattern of mistreatment that needs to be stopped.”

The petition garnered 537 signatures, and the authorities finally stepped in. On August 21, a raid on Serino’s New Jersey home revealed 37 cats and eight dogs living in what Trinkle calls “deplorable conditions.”

“It was sickening,” Trinkle told Central New Jersey News. “Animals in cages with like eight or nine inches of feces. No litter. No food. No water. They were filthy dirty. Some had eyes sealed shut with disease. Just very, very bad.”

An investigation is ongoing, and Serino has not yet been charged. The pets have been removed from her care and relocated to various local shelters; the majority went to Animal Alliance, and others were sent to Tabby’s Place, Somerset Regional Animal Shelter, Outcast Rescue, and more animal rescues. Many are receiving veterinary attention — eventually, they’ll be available for adoption.

 "All of the animals have a safe place to be at this time. These animals have a long way back. Many of them are grateful for any kindness shown to them,” Trinkle told Central New Jersey News. “We just fed them all, and they were starving, so thirsty, and they jumped right in their litter. Even though they're so sick and so malnourished, they’re still grateful, and they need a second chance.”

You can donate to help Animal Alliance with their life-saving work at the link below.