Ledyard woman disputes animal cruelty charges
May 15—LEDYARD — Precious Michaud of Ledyard says she is the kind of animal lover that throws themed birthday parties for her pets and bought name brand booties for Lulu, her 2-year-old cocker spaniel.
But last month police seized nine animals from the Highland Drive home Michaud shares with her partner, Quiana Durham, Durham's two children and Michaud's grandfather. Police said when they entered the home on April 6, the smell of urine was so overpowering that Animal Control Officer Makayla Brown was forced to walk outside to get some air and vomit.
Police seized two dogs, four cats, a hedgehog, a tortoise and a rabbit from the home. All remain in custody of the town's animal control and Michaud is impatient to get them back. Michaud and Durham were each charged on May 1 with five counts of cruelty to animals.
"These are my children. These animals are spoiled rotten," Michaud said. "We would never do anything to harm or neglect our animals. We've had pets or entire lives. The fact that these accusations are even being made are laughable."
The police report in the case details the condition of the home when police arrived on April 6. Two dogs, Lulu and a 6-month-old golden retriever named Pancake, were infested with fleas, police said, and Pancake was "somewhat thin, which was most likely due to her not receiving the right amount of food and/or nutrition," according to the affidavits for Michaud and Durham's arrest warrants.
Police said both dogs had urine on their fur and kept in enclosures with water dishes overturned and empty and the fur around Lulu's feet was "observed to be overgrown and matted."
The rabbit also appeared malnourished while the tortoise had signs of shell rot and was kept in an enclosure police described as "very dirty." Police said the hedgehog was covered in feces, had no water available and was in an enclosure with "several maggots, small flies, and moldy cat food."
Police said the children's bedrooms were also in disarray, prompting police to contact the state Department of Children and Families.
The two dogs were taken to All Friends Animal Hospital in Norwich for vaccinations. There it was found the dogs had a type of parasite "that they would get from ingesting their own feces, parasites such as roundworms, tapeworms, toxoplasmosis, and giardia," according to the police report.
Police were initially called to the home on April 6 after Durham had made multiple calls to animal control to ask them to remove the animals.
Michaud, the primary caretaker of the animals, was not allowed back to the house at that time due to a prior domestic arrest following a fight between she and Durham. Michaud said she was barred from entering the home because of a court-imposed protective order and she knew her grandfather and Durham were unable to take care of the animals on their own. Durham has a medical condition and her grandfather has dementia, Michaud said.
Michaud said she doesn't dispute the fact that the litter boxes had not been cleaned and the house was "messy" but claims the animals were not in any way mistreated or neglected. The dogs were being treated for fleas, she said, but claims none of the animals were malnourished and said she had paperwork to prove they had been recently treated at the veterinary clinic. She said the home is also under renovation, which contributed to the messy look.
"There wasn't any animal cruelty. We should not have been arrested. They put my grandfather in charge even though we repeatedly asked to not have him put be in charge. If they would have allowed me to get back to the home it never would have gotten so messy," Michaud said.
Michaud said DCF has made several visits but she is confident DCF investigators will only find a loving home.
Michaud also said that animal control, in the process of trapping cats in her yard, left one of the cats in a trap for two days without food or water. Police and the animal control officer's office could not be reached for comment for this report.
Michaud who expects to be represented by a public defender in court, said her daughter has already written the judge a letter in support of getting the animals back. The young girl, Michaud said, has a learning disability and often sings to the animals.
"She wrote a letter to the judge begging to let us have the animals back. I was so proud of her but so angry she had to be put in that position," Michaud said.
Court records show Michaud was charged with disorderly conduct and Durham with disorderly conduct and third-degree assault in connection with the April 5 domestic-related arrest. Michaud said she expects the case to be resolved with counseling. Both women are due back in court on June 4 in the animal cruelty case.
