30 Dogs Found In Filthy, Waste-Filled Kennels As Florida Woman Faces Animal Cruelty Charges

Thirty live dogs were removed from a home after deputies discovered them in filthy, overcrowded kennels, with some suffering from malnutrition and untreated injuries, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

Body-worn camera footage shows a woman in a pink shirt speaking with a detective outside the property, where a Lee County Domestic Animal Services van is parked. Other images from the investigation show dogs confined in wire kennels on a dirty tile floor.

Deputies were called on October 5 over suspected animal hoarding and a dead dog. They found the dead animal inside a kennel near the garage, with the smell of decomposition coming from the area.

Inside the house, dogs were crowded into kennels contaminated with feces and urine. Six puppies were found covered in their own waste. Deputies reported no working air conditioning, poor ventilation and insufficient water. Some dogs were underweight, while others had untreated injuries.

Animal services removed 30 live dogs and the dead dog from the property.

Deputies also found an adult man with a mental disability living in the home with his parents. He had bites on his body that deputies believed could have been caused by fleas. His bedroom had no bed and was covered in trash, and the house had no running water.

Sheriff Carmine Marceno said the homeowner, Mary Margaret Paulis, was the man’s caretaker. She arrived at the property and was detained.

Paulis was charged with 31 counts of aggravated animal cruelty and neglect of a disabled adult. A judge found probable cause on October 6, set bond at $82,500 and ordered her not to keep animals. Her next court date is November 9.

The charges are allegations, and the dogs remained in the care of animal services.