Dead dogs in Milwaukee home, animal advocates seek justice
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man is accused in the deaths of more than 50 dogs, and animal advocates want to ensure he gets what they believe is the right punishment.
"I have never seen cruelty of this magnitude in my life," said Amila Rizvic with Friends of MADACC. "I was horrified, and my heart was broken for these animals."
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The place described as a house of horrors has now been torn to the ground. The home might be gone, but investigators say what happened inside will not be forgotten.
FOX6 News first reported on the charges filed against Michael Ellis in September after the city discovered more than 50 dead dogs and numerous reptiles during a foreclosure walkthrough. A microchip was traced back to one of the dogs after its skeleton was found inside a kennel.
Home torn down near Teutonia and Villard
Karen Sparapani, executive director of the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission and the city's humane officer, was part of a team brought in after the animals were found. She spoke to FOX6 News when Ellis was charged.
"There were bodies on top of bodies with crates on top of them," Sparapani said at the time.
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Since then, Friends of MADACC – a fundraising group for the shelter – has been committed to seeking justice in the case.
"If we stay quiet, the outcome may not be what we want it to be," said Rizvic.
Rizvic is leading an effort to fill the courtroom for each of Ellis' hearings and encourage people to send letters to the judge and district attorney – asking that Ellis not be given a plea deal.
Dozens of dead dogs in Milwaukee home; man charged
A Milwaukee man is accused of having dozens of dead dogs in a north side home this summer. Three dogs were found alive.
"He inflicted unimaginable suffering on innocent animals," said Rizvic.
A group committed to saving the lives of animals said they're doing what they can – even after they're gone.
Ellis turned himself in to police in September. Prosecutors said he told officers he began hoarding the dogs because of a divorce. If convicted on all counts, he faces more than 15 years in prison.