NAPLES, Fla. — Three people face animal cruelty charges after police say they kept puppies in distressing conditions while trying to sell them to people at the beach.
It happened around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday when Naples police said they were called to the area near the Naples Pier after getting reports about dogs on the beach, a violation of city ordinance. Police said they were told that Ernest Augustin of Immokalee and Mariel Palominoca Campos and Yuniesky Campos Hartman, both from Cape Coral, were pulling a beach cart with several small puppies inside.
Police said they were told the three were going up to beachgoers trying to sell the puppies.
When officers arrived, they said they located the trio and noticed a blanket was covering the puppies inside the beach cart. Police said the blanket was likely used to conceal the puppies from view, but ultimately the dogs weren't getting access to fresh air.
On Sunday, Naples, like much of the Tampa Bay area and the state of Florida, was under a heat advisory and the heat index was around 110 degrees.
When officers lifted the blanket, they said six puppies were in the beach cart. Two of the pups had shallow breathing and were almost unresponsive, "appearing to be in distress due to heat-related symptoms."
The puppies were immediately taken to a patrol car, where the air conditioning was blasting, and given water. About 20 minutes after being put in the car, deputies said the pups "seemed to recover" from the heat and started to look better.
Collier County Domesticated Animal Services were called to take the puppies for medical evaluation.
Based on the condition the puppies were in, the sheriff's office said the trio "unnecessarily deprived the dogs of necessary sustenance or shelter in a cruel manner."
"All suspects had the ability to stop, provide the dogs with water or shaded shelter, but none chose to do so," the sheriff's office said.
As a result, the trio were charged with cruelty to animals, a first-degree misdemeanor.
