The former owner of a foreclosed home in Biddeford was charged with animal cruelty for allegedly leaving a dog and cat in the house for two weeks, before the animals were discovered by police.

Acting on an anonymous tip received on Oct. 1, officers entered the home at 1 Joshua Dive to “an overpowering smell of urine, feces and filth,” according to a news release Monday from Biddeford police.

Inside, they found an emaciated terrier with missing hair and large patches of red, irritated skin and a gray tiger cat with “a significant hind end limp,” police said.

The floor was covered with piles of feces and puddles of urine. There was no evidence of food or water for the animals, police said.

On Oct. 7, Biddeford police charged Bruce Friedel, 61, of 75 Raymond St., Biddeford, with cruelty to animals, failure to provide necessary sustenance, failure to provide medical attention and failure to provide shelter.

Police said he and his wife, Kathleen Friedel, 62, left the house around Sept. 17.

Police took the animals to a veterinary clinic for examination, then to the Animal Welfare Society in Kennebunk.

Doctors found that the cat, which was very thin, had fleas and a broken femur or pelvis that appeared to be an older injury. The dog, which was fearful of people and had to be muzzled, had yeast and fungal infections on its skin, as well as advanced gum disease.

When a veterinarian removed the muzzle, a tooth fell out.

Friedel is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Dec. 17 at 9 a.m.

 

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