A Long Island woman is facing animal cruelty charges after police discovered a dead dog and other animals, including lizards, at her apartment.
Melissa Buchanan, 27, was arrested Thursday after police found two miniature Australian Shepherds, one of which was dead, and two lizards and a cat that had not been cared for at the South Huntington apartment.
The woman’s landlord had alerted police after noticing that she had not been home for a few days and a dog inside the unit was barking excessively, Suffolk County police said.
Buchanan arrived at the apartment while police were still there and said she had not been home for several days, according to police.
Huntington Animal Control took control of the dog and cat. The Suffolk County SPCA made arrangements to care for the other animals.
Buchanan was held overnight at the police precinct and was scheduled to be in court in Central Islip on Friday.
She has been charged with six counts of animal cruelty.
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It was not immediately clear if she had an attorney.
