Dozen dogs seized from Round Lake Park home; cruelty charges filed

Ten puppies and two adult dogs living in filthy conditions have been seized from a Round Lake Park man's house, police said Tuesday.

Carmelo Ramirez-Alvarado, 35, of the 400 block of Washington Street, was charged with 14 counts of animal cruelty, Round Lake Park Police Chief George Filenko said. Ramirez-Alvarado is free on bond, pending an Aug. 4 court date in Lake County.

Filenko said an anonymous tipster called police about 5:05 p.m. Monday to report several puppies living in a filthy garage. He said officers sent to the scene reported they detected a stench about 50 feet from the rental home.

Police found the 10 flea-infested purebred and mixed pit bulls living in the garage with feces on the ground and swarming insects, Filenko said.

He said the roughly 4-week-old pups were seized immediately.

Filenko said cops returned to Ramirez-Alvarado's home Tuesday morning to remove two adult dogs - a purebred and a mixed pit bull - on suspicion the animals have been living in an outside fenced area contaminated with waste. One of the adult dogs was found chained in the garage Monday.

Ramirez-Alvarado lived with his wife and children in the home at the time of his arrest, said Filenko. He said there was no evidence of dog fighting on the property.

All of the canines are being evaluated at the Lake County Health Department's animal control facility near Mundelein.

Health department spokeswoman Leslie Piotrowski said the dogs will remain at animal control at least until Ramirez-Alvarado's Aug. 4 court appearance.

Filenko said none of the dogs had received proper vaccinations.

Round Lake Park's local ordinance allows a maximum of three dogs to a home. However, said Filenko, authorities bypassed the local law and leveled the more serious state charge of animal cruelty against Ramirez-Alvarado.