Muddy Paws Site Torn Down

The Muddy Paws building, where Diane Eldrup is suspected to have starved 34 dogs to death, is going down. A demolition crew, M. Rizzi & Son, arrived May 12 to begin the process of erasing the former dog rescue and boarding facility from the Deer Park landscape.

"This is where my beautiful Lucha lived, suffered and died," said Janice Robinson, a foster parent of one of the dogs who died at Muddy Paws. Robinson said she was brought to tears upon hearing of the demolition.

Pete Rizzi, of M. Rizzi & Son, said the company was contracted by the bank to demolish the building. The former home and business of Diane Eldrup and her estranged husband, Kurt Eldrup, was foreclosed. IBT Holdings is listed as the current owner, in real estate records.

Eldrup was charged with 19 felony counts of aggravated cruelty and 19 counts of animal torture.

Prosecutors recently offered a plea to Diane Eldrup. She is being asked to plead guilty to the 19 counts of aggravated animal cruelty, a Class 4 felony, with a maximum punishment of one to three years in jail.

In exchange for the plea, Eldrup would not be prosecuted for the Class 3 felony charges for animal torture, which carry a maximum sentence of five years in jail. If she does not accept the plea, the case is expected to go to trial in June.