Police did not come to 76 McCarthy Road looking for dogs.
They came looking for weapons. What happened next took nine hours.
What Brought Police to McCarthy Road
Lemont police had been receiving escalating complaints involving the homeowner in recent weeks. When they learned that Andrew Malak had a revoked FOID card, a Firearm Owner’s Identification card required by Illinois law to legally possess weapons, they obtained a search warrant.
Before they could search the home, they had to deal with what was already in the yard, garage, and inside the house.
What They Found
Seventy-six dogs. Spread across the property in varying states of confinement.
As ABC7 Chicago reported on the Lemont dog rescue, Lemont Police Chief Jason LoCoco described a striking contrast between the home and the animals inside it.
“The house itself is in pretty deplorable conditions. The dogs themselves were not. The dogs were all fairly healthy, active, friendly, a bit skittish, but due to lack of human contact,” LoCoco said.
Three weapons were also recovered. Andrew Malak was arrested and faces both weapons charges and animal cruelty charges. He is due in court next week.
Nine Hours
Kim Arias of Ruby Whiskers Animal Rescue was among the first responders. “I did not see any aggression. I saw fear, for sure,” she said.
Securing and transporting 76 dogs required multiple rescue organizations, shelters, animal control agencies, and law enforcement working together. The operation took upwards of nine hours.
Lemont police retained the final four dogs overnight because no additional shelter space was available. Anti-Cruelty in Chicago confirmed it received 33 of the dogs. None are yet available for adoption.
Large-scale rescues like this one put immediate pressure on shelters across a region. When 82 dogs were surrendered from a Texas ranch, multiple Pennsylvania shelters had to absorb them simultaneously, the same kind of coordination Lemont agencies faced over nine hours.
Have you ever lived near a property where you suspected something was wrong but didn’t know what to do? Tell me in the comments.
What the Neighbors Already Knew
Neighbor Ian Carter said the situation had been affecting residents for some time. “It was noisy. It smelled terrible,” he said.
The home has since been posted with signs warning people to stay away.
Neighbors noticing but not knowing when to act is a recurring theme in these cases. Deputies responding to an animal cruelty call near Lynden, Washington found 30 dogs in severe condition after volunteers had already removed 13 on their own before authorities arrived.
Why This Matters
This case fits a pattern animal welfare experts track closely. According to Humane World for Animals on animal cruelty facts, most animal cruelty cases are never reported, and those that are often go undetected for months before authorities intervene.
In Lemont, neighbors had noticed. The odor. The noise. The escalating activity. It took a weapons warrant to open the door.
The Lemont case is not isolated. Pierce County authorities removed 17 animals from an unlicensed rescue after finding dogs without food or water. In both cases, neighbors had noticed long before authorities did.
Key Takeaways
- Police executed a weapons search warrant at a home on McCarthy Road in Lemont after learning Andrew Malak had a revoked FOID card.
- 76 dogs were found in the yard, garage, and inside the home.
- Three weapons were also recovered.
- The rescue operation took upwards of nine hours involving multiple agencies and organizations.
- Anti-Cruelty in Chicago received 33 dogs. None are yet ready for adoption.
- Malak faces weapons and animal cruelty charges and is due in court next week.
They stayed nine hours for the dogs.
Police Came for the Weapons
Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow Furry Found on X and our Facebook page for more stories like this.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Details are based on public reports and may change as the case develops.