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More frozen pets found on troubled Upper Darby block

Police have arrested a woman who allegedly abandoned her two dogs in November, leaving them to freeze to death, starve to death, or overdose on her pills. Twenty frozen kittens were found in her neighbor's freezer in September.

Kinda at a loss for words here ...

Back in September, Upper Darby police found 20 frozen kittens in a freezer on Ardmore Avenue. The week before, they had busted an alleged brothel across the street. Now, cops say they've arrested a woman from the same block of Ardmore Avenue who abandoned her two dogs in November, leaving them to freeze to death, starve to death, or overdose on her pills – or a combination of the three.

Patricia Ray, 40, was charged Wednesday with animal cruelty and related crimes for the death of her dogs, a tan retriever and a Pomeranian, that were found dead in her home last weekend.

"The officer went in looking for her and found these two dogs, both lying on the floor, dead," said police Superintendent Michael Chitwood Sr. The electricity was turned off in November because Ray hadn't paid the bill, and the pooches were wearing an electronic collar that prevented them from barking.

"The dogs almost tore the door apart, scratching at it trying to get out," Chitwood said. A bottle of Oxycontin that had contained 200 pills was on the floor, and only 37 pills were recovered. "We think the dogs may have eaten the pills because there was no food in there," he said.

The dogs' bodies have been turned over to the SPCA, which is expected to perform a necropsy to determine the cause of death. Ray is awaiting her preliminary hearing.

Unfortunately, this is only Delaware County's latest case of animal cruelty in recent years. At the suggestion of one commenter, here's the Delco SPCA's website, where you can channel your anger toward helping animals.