Emaciated, Filth-Covered Dog Rescued From Queens Woman's Apartment: DA

QUEENS, NY — The rescue of a starving, filth-covered dog from a Queens apartment led to animal abuse charges against its owner, prosecutors said.

Evadne Harrington, 41, appeared in court Tuesday for arraignment on charges that could ultimately send her to jail for up to a year, authorities said.

Cops found and rescued Harrington's dog Puddin during the holidays from squalid conditions, as well as no food and water, inside her Far Rockaway apartment, officials said.

"The abuse of voiceless, defenseless creatures is unconscionable," said Melinda Katz, district attorney for Queens, in a statement. "Puddin thankfully was rescued from her miserable circumstances."

Puddin's rescue unfolded Dec. 21 when NYPD officers responded to a call for medical help from Harrington's home, authorities said.

Officers found Puddin tied to a "box-like structure" with a 6-inch chain and metal collar secured by a padlock that gave the dog no freedom of movement, prosecutors said.

The dog had no food or water nearby, and cops found none in the apartment, authorities said.

Puddin immediately ran to the bathroom to drink from the toilet after cops freed her from her chain, prosecutors said.

The dog's spine, ribs and hipbones protruded from under her coat — which was damp with urine, patchy and covered in dirt and dander, officials said — and she had a thickened, scabbing scar across her muzzle.

A forensic veterinarian found Puddin suffered from emaciation and widespread skin infections, hair loss and other injuries, prosecutors said.

Puddin has been recovering, first at a veterinary hospital, then in foster care, authorities said. She's ready for adoption, officials said.