Police remove 20 dogs, 2 cats, shut down home in Carpentersville

Carpentersville police, with assistance from the Elgin animal control unit, removed 20 dogs and two cats Tuesday from a home on Evergreen Lane in Carpentersville.

The man who owns the property was home when police removed the dogs and cats, and he will be charged with "multiple village ordinance violations," Carpentersville police said.

The dogs and cats "appeared to be generally taken care of but showed effects of living in a small, overcrowded space," according to police.

The animals were taken to a temporary emergency animal shelter and are being examined by veterinarians.

Carpentersville police say the scene remains hazardous, and crews "will be working to remediate any potential environmental concerns."

A neighbor who wished to remain anonymous said she could smell urine and feces from three houses away while the dogs were being removed.

The neighbor said she had called police months ago after she walked by the house and heard "tons of barking" coming from inside and saw dogs in the window.

While she did see an occupant of the home often leave in the morning and come back at night, the neighbor said she never saw the dogs outside.

After police removed the dogs, an order that says the home is unfit for human occupancy was posted on the front door.

"There were two trucks just filled with dogs in the back," the neighbor said. "They looked pretty ragged, pretty dirty and matted."

Ellie's Animal Rescue in Carpentersville, Golf Rose Animal Hospital in Schaumburg and Carpentersville's public works, code enforcement and fire departments were also involved in the effort to remove the dogs and cats from the home.