They Organized A Barbecue While Their 5 Dogs Were Starving In The Garden

The scene seems unreal, but sadly it is very real. Five emaciated dogs were found half-dead in the garden of a Long-Island Resident, near New York City, while she was planning a barbecue. Another dog was found already dead a few feet away.

It was during a charity patrol - aiming to help dog owners who struggle to finance their veterinary care - that the volunteers at the Almost Home organization crossed the path of a Pit Bull, visibly struggling, who brought them to the property in question.

^Source:^{Pet Rescue Report}

While she hadn't fed her dogs for over a week - according to her own admissions - Veleda Bailey was in the middle of grilling some hamburgers in the backyard when the rescue team intervened. The 35-year-old American was investigated for animal cruelty by the Suffolk County SPCA.

"She was completely indifferent," decried Roy Gross, one of the directors of the SPCA of Suffolk Country, during a press conference at the Babylon Animal Shelter, where the animals were treated. According to the testimonies by volunteers, she was enjoying her meal with friends without worrying about the starving dogs and the cadaver of the other, dead from hunger.

^Source:^{Pet Rescue Report}

Linda, an employee of Almost Home, explains:

One of our volunteers first noticed the dead dog, chained to a tree. We couldn't wait to act. The SPCA and the local police were immediately notified. The dogs were seized and transferred to urgent care at a veterinary clinic. The children of the family were playing in the garden next to the body like nothing was wrong. They were grilling steaks next to these dogs dying of hunger.

At the time, Veleda Bailey retorted that she didn't have the money to nourish her dogs: "I could have given them some hamburgers, but then my kids wouldn't have anything else to eat," she added.

^Source:^{Pet Rescue Report}

Not sure that this argument will convince the judges on January 30, the date of her trial. According to American law, Veleda Bailey faces one year in prison as well as a fine of $1000.

The escapees of this drama are recovering and will soon be put up for adoption.