Woman arrested on animal cruelty charges

A woman has been arrested, accused of hoarding more than a dozen dogs in her Riverdale home.
Police arrested Philomena McNamara for aggravated cruelty to animals.
Officials say they had to force their way in the Riverdale Avenue home Sunday afternoon to rescue the dogs.
It's not clear how well they were taken care of, although they appeared healthy. A majority of the dogs appeared to be huskies.
Neighbors say all of the dogs escaped the home Saturday and were roaming the neighborhood. 
This is not the first time the community has had to deal with this problem. In September 2014, News 12 reported that five dogs were removed from the property after being involved in a string of attacks spanning back to 2009. In 2011, News 12 reported about a neighbor who said she was bitten several times by six of those dogs. At the time, animal control said the dogs were taken because the homeowner failed to comply with Health Department orders.
The dogs are now in ASPCA care. News 12 reached out to the Department of Health for a statement on the incident, but has not heard back.