A woman being charged with animal cruelty said she is not guilty after police raided her Cohoes home and seized 102 animals; an additional 16 pets were found dead in a freezer.

“Do I believe I’m guilty of the charge? No. Do I believe it’s a necessary means to an end? Yes.”

During a phone conversation, Jennifer Uhl said she had a lot more animals than expected when the seizure happened.

“I do believe that there were more animals in my home than I could reasonably take care of. It stemmed from a transport that came in on Sunday morning that was not supposed to come to my home and did.”

Uhl started an organization called, Empawthy Animal Rescue in 2022. She said many of the animals came from a shelter in Texas just days ago.

Mohawk Hudson Humane Society Uhl’s organization was not a registered pet rescue under New York law.
Ashley Jeffrey Bouck, the CEO of Mohawk Hudson Humane Society said 47 dogs, 52 cats, and 3 ferrets were taken from Uhl’s Cohoes home and are now in the care of the humane society.

“Our law enforcement team went out on an animal cruelty case and unfortunately it was much worth it than we had anticipated,” Jeffrey Bouck said. “We’ve already been at capacity at our shelter here in Menands for a year and a half. This is one of the reasons why we’re constantly at capacity.”

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One of the animals seized was a puppy that had been taken to an emergency clinic as doctors attempted to save its life.

Andrew Fiumano, MHHS’ Director of Humane Law Enforcement, said this was a months-long investigation, and he even met with Uhl before seizing the animals.

“We initially got complaints in September. Working with Colonie Animal Control, we thought we were helping these people with a corrective plan of action, they had even decreased the population of animals on the property. They had taken steps to increase the quality of care and the living conditions and sanitation,” he said.

However, Uhl said she did what she could to save those animals.

“All the animals were fed. They were clean. We have a few that came with health issues that we were working through. Although the numbers were high, the care being provided is what I am expected to do as a rescuer,” Uhl said.