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A Rhode Island man faces over two dozen animal cruelty charges after police discovered 25 dogs and puppies living in severe squalor on his residential property. Sarah Bawden reported on the criminal charges and animal seizure for WPRI-TV on November 11, 2026.
Officers from the Warwick Police Department responded to a residence on Fulton Street in Warwick, Kent County, Rhode Island 02886, United States, following welfare complaints from concerned neighbors.
Residents reported that dogs were being left outdoors for prolonged periods and noted several loose animals wandering the neighborhood after escaping from the yard.
Upon arriving at the property, responding officers immediately observed significant accumulations of dog feces across the backyard and detected a strong odor of waste emanating from an outdoor shed.
Inside the shed, police located multiple dogs and puppies confined within three separate crates covered in feces and urine without any access to food or water.
Officers contacted the homeowner, identified as 60-year-old Rodrigo Moreira, who granted law enforcement permission to inspect the interior of the residence.
Inside the house, officers found additional adult dogs and young puppies confined inside dirty crates and a soiled whelping pen lacking clean drinking water.
Police seized a total of 25 dogs and puppies from the property and transported them to the Warwick Animal Shelter for immediate medical evaluation and care.
Officers subsequently arrested Moreira and charged him with 25 counts of animal mistreatment and failure to provide adequate care.
My thoughts:
- Vigilant neighbors who report prolonged outdoor confinement and loose neighborhood dogs play a vital role in uncovering severe residential animal hoarding.
- Confining puppies and adult dogs inside soiled crates without food or water causes extreme physical distress and immediate dehydration risks.
- Unsanitary whelping pens expose newborn and young puppies to dangerous bacterial infections and severe parasitic infestations.
- Filing separate criminal counts for every individual animal rescued ensures proportional legal accountability in large-scale neglect cases.
- Municipal animal shelters require substantial emergency resources and community support to absorb sudden intakes of dozens of neglected animals.
- Prompt police welfare checks triggered by strong environmental odors help prevent fatal outcomes in hidden backyard outbuildings.
Source: Warwick Police Department, Warwick Animal Shelter, and WPRI-TV (Sarah Bawden)
