Washington County Woman Facing Animal Cruelty Charges

A Washington County woman faces animal cruelty charges after multiple dogs were found in deplorable conditions on a property along Five Points Road in Hanover Township.  Police say there was a kennel building on the property, and nineteen dogs were allegedly kept there in compromised air quality due to ammonia and a large amount of feces.  Police say fifteen Yorkshire terriers had very matted coats of hair, including one with an “almost turtle shell” made of caked feces on its body.  Of the nine terriers surrendered to the Washington Area Humane Society, seven reportedly had ear infections, and all were infected with an intestinal parasite.  Also, authorities say a dog that froze to death over the winter was still in the kennel, some six months after its death.  Court records show the kennel’s alleged owner, 42-year-old Kayla Marie Rigole, was charged with one count of aggravated cruelty to animals, nineteen counts of animal cruelty and thirty-six counts of animal neglect.  Rigole told police that she’d been unable to take care of the kennel due to personal health and maintenance issues, records say.