Bachanas Charged with Three Counts of Aggravated Animal Cruelty
OTESGO COUNTY—The Otsego County Sheriff’s Office announced earlier today that Whitney L. Bachanas of Milford has been charged with three counts of aggravated animal cruelty.
According to a media release issued at 10:41 a.m., “Due to continued investigation in collaboration with Susquehanna SPCA, Cornell University Veterinary Hospital and Upstate Veterinary Specialties the above defendant, who was previously arrested for multiple counts of animal cruelty, has been additionally charged with three counts of aggravated animal cruelty. Above defendant was issued an appearance ticket to coincide with previous charges for this case.”
Bachanas was arrested on September 3 following a welfare check at a residence on County Highway 35 in the Town of Milford, at which time she was charged with abandonment of animals and failure to provide proper sustenance. She was set to appear in Milford Town Court on Tuesday, October 1; however that appearance has since been rescheduled for Tuesday, October 8 at 4:30 p.m.
“There were several animals in and around the residence that were found to be abandoned, malnourished and mistreated,” the report submitted by Deputy Joshua Feyerabend at the time of Bachanas’ arrest read.
Two Great Danes were seized by law enforcement on September 3: Oscar, a male, estimated to be almost two years old, and Belle, a nine-month-old female—weighed just 54 pounds and 29.6 pounds, respectively. A healthy, full-grown male Great Dane should tip the scales between 140-175 pounds. A healthy female at nine months should weigh between 85-125 pounds.
The male dog, Oscar, has since died from complications due to his poor physical condition at time of rescue. Belle, the female, is currently in stable condition and under the care of the Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals medical team.
Two emaciated quail were also removed from the home, officials said, and the body of a third dog was also found on the premises, in a state of advanced decomposition.
