BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — Law enforcement removed 54 dogs Tuesday from a Hernando County kennel following a court ruling and the discovery of several dead animals on the property, the sheriff's office said.
Its owner, 34-year-old Jian Karlos Ortiz-Mendez, had been accused in March of selling several puppies that died of parvovirus a few days later. When Hernando County Sheriff's Office deputies and animal enforcement responded to the kennel, 11 puppies were found dead and improperly disposed of in garbage cans.
Authorities at the time said they would revoke Ortiz-Mendez's kennel license amid charges of aggravated animal cruelty and another count of misdemeanor animal neglect.
Law enforcement said the single charge was because of a lack of water for dogs on the property.
Ortiz-Mendez's not only lost the animals, which have been turned over to Hernando County Animal Services, but he also is not allowed to own an animal in the state of Florida again, the sheriff's office said in a news release.
The agency added his case remains pending in court.
Golden Kennel LLC searched
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