Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
16 Dogs Die In Fire At Illegal Breeding Kennel In Westchester
By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 2, 2011
Modified Nov 2, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 2, 2011
Modified Nov 2, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
16 dogs housed in a 20-by-20-foot single-story shed died in an early morning fire today at an illegal breeding kennel in Westchester. The fire was reported at 6:51 a.m., and brought under control within minutes, but it was too late to save the animals trapped inside their cages. Local police in Greenburgh, NY tell LoHud.com that the dogs were a breed of Cane Corsos. Eight were puppies, and the others were 5 months to 7 years old.
Heat lamps and space heaters inside the shed may have caused the fire, which is still under investigation. But the property owner, Ross Taylor, was reported for illegal dog breeding in 2006. Police did not issue any summonses at the time because, according to Greenburgh police Lt. Brian Ryan, "He cleaned it up. Obviously, they came back." Now they're all dead.
Town Building Inspector John Lucido tells LoHud.com, "If it was found that they had all these dogs we would have given them violation notices to remove the dogs down to the number permitted, which is three. It was an illegal business where a person was breeding dogs in a residential neighborhood, which is not permitted. We will have an investigation. Whatever violations are found will have to be written up and they will be taken to court."
Tagged
cane corso
dog breeding
fire
illegal breeding
illegal kennels
kennel
space heaters
westchester
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Inside Luigi Mangione's legal strategy before his federal guilty plea
Newly unsealed transcripts and court filings reveal how his lawyers weighed a mental health defense — and the risk it could have posed to his federal case.
By
Samantha Max
Published Oct 20, 2026 at 12:37 p.m. ET
NYC proposes crackdown down on AI customer service chatbots
Customers would have to be provided the option of speaking with a human.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
NYC proposes crackdown down on AI customer service chatbots
Customers would have to be provided the option of speaking with a human.
By
Arya Sundaram
Early Addition: There's a new hot duck, this time in Queens
By
James Ramsay
NYPD hate crime unit investigates smashed windows, ‘Pal Action’ graffiti at UES Capital One
By
Ryan Kost
A reliably Republican part of NJ, until ICE came to town
By
Mike Hayes
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .