STERLING HEIGHTS — A report of four horses running free near 15 Mile and Mound led to the removal of nearly 70 animals from a Sterling Heights kennel after police allegedly discovered evidence of “neglect and abuse.”

According to the Sterling Heights Police Department, officers responded to the area April 20 after receiving a complaint about a quartet of roaming horses. Officers determined that the animals had escaped from their pen at Lornich Kennels, located at 35445 Mound, north of 15 Mile.

Lt. Robert Henigan said the officers, upon returning the horses to Lornich, found no caretaker present initially and observed “serious health and safety concerns” related to dogs living at the facility, including dirty and inaccessible drinking water and dog food strewn on the ground and mixed with feces. Officers also noticed that the dogs’ fur was matted and covered in feces, he said.

The kennels’ owners returned soon after and demanded that the police leave their property, said Henigan, at which time officers began the process of securing a search warrant.

Armed with the warrant, police returned April 23 to document the conditions, then contacted various local animal rescue groups to temporarily lodge the animals. In all, police removed 61 dogs, five cats and one horse from Lornich. 

“For the time being, they’re protected, they’re being cared for properly,” said Henigan. “There were a couple left behind that were family pets that were assessed and found to be in good condition.”

At press time, no one had been arrested. Henigan said the investigation was ongoing and would likely take at least a week, as officers try to determine ownership of the animals at the kennel.

“There’s a lot of unanswered questions at this point,” he said. “On a case like this, it’s a fairly lengthy process.”

Once the investigation is completed, police will turn over the results for review by the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, which will determine whether charges are appropriate, said Henigan.

“We anticipate that there will be (charges),” he said, “but it’s premature to say how many charges and of what variety.”

Henigan said animal cruelty carries penalties ranging from 93 days in jail to four years in prison, depending on prior offenses. He confirmed that officers responded to a similar complaint at Lornich in 2004.

According to its Web site, the company, owned by Lorri E. Nichiow, was established in 1974 and specializes in rottweilers, Lhasa apsos, shih tzus and Dobermans, including rare white Dobermans. The facility also offers boarding, grooming, obedience and protection training.

A woman answering Lornich’s phone April 23 — who identified herself as Nichiow’s daughter but declined to give her name — denied any allegations of wrongdoing and said the kennel had been given the stamp of approval by state and county agencies.

“None of it’s true; they’re lying about a lot of stuff … mostly just about the conditions and everything,” she said. “It’s just Sterling Heights, the police and the animal control that’s just in cahoots, or whatever.”

Sarah Bagnowski was among a team of employees from Sterling Heights-based Serenity Animal Hospital and Pet Resort who went out to the scene April 23 to help with the confiscated animals.

She said she observed deplorable conditions, including urine-soaked hay in the doghouses and a dead mouse lying in a water bowl.

“It was horrible,” said Bagnowski. “Some of them didn’t have water; some of them didn’t have food.”

The dogs — mostly Dobermans, rottweilers, Lhasa apsos, and shih tzus, as well as a few Jack Russell and rat terriers — were covered in urine and feces and suffering from various health conditions, from tumors to mange, she said.

Bagnowski said Serenity took in about 18 of the worst cases, and workers stayed at the pet hospital until around 11 p.m. April 23, bathing and caring for the animals.

Serenity’s groomer was called in to assist, as some of the dogs’ fur was so matted that their skin was ripping as employees tried to brush them, she said.

She said some of the animals from the kennel will likely be placed in foster care, as they can’t be given up for adoption until the case is closed.

But “the ones that we have, most of them are in too poor of condition to even go into foster homes,” she said.

You can reach Staff Writer Cortney Casey at ccasey@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1046.