A Fairfield woman who was charged with 48 counts of animal cruelty and had dozens of dogs and cats removed from her home, was running an animal rescue. State records show Glorianne Lagnese formed Super Paws Rescue in 2015. The nonprofit's registered address is 60 Steep Hill Road in Fairfield, where Lagnese lives with family. The website says, "We are an animal rescue organization. Our goal is to safely re-home animals. We assist the pets in high kill shelters and at-risk pets."

But on April 28, animal control officers seized nearly 50 animals due to what they deemed were “uninhabitable” conditions at the house. Police said the investigation into Lagnese began earlier in the month after a resident found a dog without tags roaming and called animal control to report it had matted fur and smelled strongly of urine. Police said animal control traced the dog to Lagnese and requested a welfare check at the house before releasing the dog back. That visit led to a search warrant for the home with the investigation culminating in Lagnese’s arrest last Friday.

Her arrest warrant said, officers found the home "extremely cluttered with various items and trash making it difficult to navigate" and noted "the strong scent of urine/ammonia" and "piles of animal feces" in multiple rooms.

“The animal rescue and basement level of the home were covered in feces and urine, and the ammonia smell made it very difficult to breathe. All the animals’ cages had fecal matter and urine inside, forcing the animals to walk and lay in it. The food and water bowls were either empty or contained what appeared to be old food and were also covered in fecal matter," according to the warrant.

The animals were all removed except for what the warrant said were feral cats in the walls and ceiling. Police said all the animals went to the Fairfield Animal Shelter except for three dogs that needed treatment at Highway Animal Hospital. The vet there submitted a lengthy report on the condition of all the dogs and cats.

"The report indicated the animals showed prolonged exposure to urine and feces with staining and matted coats. Many had overgrown nails preventing them from walking properly. One dog was having syncope episodes from untreated cardiac disease, and another had significant scarring throughout its body from skin lesions,” according to the warrant. “The animals were provided with 24 hours of food and water at the animal shelter and were still showing signs of dehydration and starvation. Many had untreated medical conditions and preventable ailments,” the warrant said. It stated the vet concluded, “there were a total of 48 animals that were subjected to prolonged neglect by means of starvation, dehydration, and deprivation to basic rights of sanitation."

The vet also told animal control that she’d spoken to Lagnese in the past about "her animals being dirty and at times smelling of urine and cigarette smoke," according to the warrant. It stated the vet said Lagnese seemed to be bringing in more animals lately and she’d warned Lagnese she was becoming overwhelmed with trying to care for too many animals.

Lagnese’s warrant also noted that animal control had received prior complaints about the welfare of dogs at her rescue.

The Facebook page for Super Paws Rescue remains active and does show animals that were already in bad shape when Lagnese took them in. One post has pictures of an abandoned senior dog and says, "We are really full, and you all know a lot has been happening here. We had to help her though."

Lagnese did not want to go on camera, but she told News 12,"The charges are BS," and “The animals were all cared for and loved."

She posted $5,000 bond following her arrest and is due in court May 19.