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Victoria A. Lussier, 56, of Woodstock, was arrested on Wednesday, Feb. 6, and charged with 13 counts of animal cruelty following the investigation by NECCOG Animal Control Services, who described her home as unfit for humans or animals.
It all started on May 17, 2024, when a neighbor tipped off animal control, saying livestock were living inside Lussier’s house, according to an affidavit for probable cause. When officers arrived, they were hit with the overwhelming smell of urine and feces, police papers say. Flies swarmed the house, and they could see feces piling up on the floors.
Inside the home, officers found three overweight dogs with hair loss, five cats covered in fleas, and two severely underfed horses named “Baby Girl” and “Bolt," the affidavit says. Outside, the property was overgrown with weeds and littered with trash.
By late summer, conditions had only worsened. On July 26, 2024, officers checked in again and saw the same issues—overgrown grass, trash everywhere, and visibly neglected animals, police paperwork says. Two kittens sitting outside were so infested with fleas that their fur was patchy, officers said. They also heard five dogs barking inside, but no one came to the door.
Things reached a breaking point in September. When officers confronted Lussier, she admitted her horses weren’t being fed properly and hadn’t seen a vet in years, according to police papers. A vet later confirmed that the horses needed four to five meals a day of hay and senior feed, but neighbors said Lussier was only giving them a couple of cups of grain a day.
On Sept. 18, 2024, animal control officers executed a search and seizure warrant with police and the Department of Agriculture. Inside the house, they found feces everywhere—on the floors, walls, and even furniture. The air was so bad it stung to breathe, investigators said.
In total, two horses, three cats, two kittens, and three geese were seized from the property. The geese, like the other animals, were malnourished and had little access to food or clean water.
Lussier is now facing 13 counts of animal cruelty. She was released on a $5,000 bond and is set to appear in Danielson Superior Court on Feb. 19, 2025.
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