Roxanne Notaro, Owner of Bulldog Hercules, Faces Abuse Charges May 23

A Deptford woman accused of starving her dog in a feces-encrusted basement cage won’t face the most serious charges against her until later this month, after an initial court hearing on municipal charges last week.

Roxanne Notaro, who faces five counts of animal abuse related to her American bulldog, Hercules, as well as a sixth count related to a cat she owned, won’t have the animal abuse charges heard until May 23, after .

No further details on that new hearing were available from the Deptford municipal court Monday.

In the interim, the bulldog continues to make progress in a vet’s care, New Jersey SPCA President Richard Yocum said.

“Hercules looks amazing and this is truly a miracle,” he wrote in a Facebook update on the dog’s condition.

It was just over a month ago , when Deptford Police Ptl. Shawn Wentz responded to a call at the woman’s home on Vassar Road in Oak Valley.

The were “horrific,” NJ SPCA officials said—he was covered in his own feces and urine, and had become anemic thanks to an infestation of fleas.

When Gloucester County Animal Control Officer Mark Tourscher seized Hercules from the home, the dog couldn’t even stand on his own, SPCA officials said, but has made a significant recovery since then.

Aside from steadily putting on weight in the care of the staff at Delaware Valley Veterinary Hospital in Mullica Hill, Hercules has recovered to the point where he’s able to run and play a bit most days, Yocum said.

Photos of the dog posted on Facebook show Hercules playing with a stuffed bone in a yard, much improved from the skeletal look he had when found on April 3.

“Hercules has a ways to go for full recovery, but is responding well and is loving life right now,” Yocum said.