TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida man was arrested after deputies found four dead dogs and over three dozen dogs in poor health in his home, according to officials.
NBC affiliate WESH reported that Seminole County deputies learned of the dogs after a child protective services investigator tipped them off about animals being kept in poor conditions.
On Nov. 22, deputies searched the home of Brandon Blake. There, they found the bodies of four dogs that apparently starved to death days before they were found, according to officials.
Twenty-six dogs were also found in poor health.
“It was just the worst case,” emergency manager Alan Harris told WESH. “I mean this was a puppy mill breeding dogs and didn’t care about them whatsoever.”
Officials said the animals were kept in kennels without access to food and water. After seizing the first 26, deputies returned hours later with a search warrant, which led them to find 13 more dogs.
WESH reported that a shelter showed them some of the dogs, which appeared to have skin rashes and other ailments.
One of the dogs that was seized from the home was so sick that it had to be euthanized at a shelter that had not killed an animal in six years.
“It died in front of me, last night,” Harris told WESH.
Sheriff Dennis Lemma condemned the mistreatment of the dogs in a statement to the affiliate.
“This is one of the most egregious cases of animal abuse in Seminole County in recent history, and Brandon Blake is facing very serious penalties for his actions,” he said.
During his first appearance, a judge said there was probable cause for confining an animal without sufficient food or water and four counts of animal cruelty..
