A Florida woman is facing over 70 criminal charges, after local law enforcement discovered that she was operating an underground puppy mill out of a home in Brevard County.
“I’m so mad I’m shaking,” Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said. “I can’t tell you the conditions that are inside. I feel sorry for our team in having to work this.”
The dogs were bred and kept in unsanitary conditions, before being sold online for upwards of $1,000.
37-year old Elisabeth Cleveland has been charged with 38 felony counts of “aggravated animal cruelty,” and is facing a further 38 misdemeanor charges of unlawful confinement.
Aggravated animal cruelty is a third-degree felony in Florida, and carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison as well as a potential fine of up to $10,000.
However, Sheriff Ivey said: “There’s more charges coming.”
Brevard County Sheriff’s Office
Local police began receiving complaints about Cleveland as far back as 2016.
However, when officer’s went to investigate these, Ivey said that Cleveland would tell them to “go to hell,” and refuse entry to her property.
After eight years of trying to obtain a search warrant, police were finally permitted to search the residence in June, and discovered dozens of puppies kept in conditions the sheriff said he was unable to describe.
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said that 38 dogs were found, living both inside and outside the dilapidated house.
“We’re taking every animal we can, we’re trying to save everyone,” Ivey said.
As officers were searching the residence, they discovered water bowls and food dishes filled with mold and vomit.
However, the sheriff said that what most bothered him were the “igloo-style doghouses” in which the dogs were kept.
When officers checked inside these, they found that the temperatures exceeded 100 degrees.
Brevard County Sheriff’s Office
“We found dogs with open wounds, we found dogs with eye infections, a dog with a broken leg,” Ivey added. “Two of these puppies, sadly, are not going to make it.”
Brevard County said that Cleveland had also been practicing veterinarian medicine on the puppies, and allegedly euthanized one.
After breeding the dogs at her home, Cleveland would then sell the puppies on a website, run by her and her spouse, called “Curio Kennel.”
“Not only do we specialize in uncommon dog breeds, we also take pride in being very different than your typical kennel,” the opening page of the website reads. “In our cage-free kennel, the happiness, healthiness and well-being of each dog is our top priority.”
10 dogs are still listed as available on the website, including a chocolate female of an unspecified breed, which is priced at $1,500.
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office is now reaching out to local humane societies and individual fosterers to help find homes for the neglected dogs.
Regarding the suspect, Ivey said: “She’s sitting right where she belongs in Brevard County jail. And I couldn’t be happier about seeing her butt there.”
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