PALM COAST, Fla. — A Palatka woman was arrested after eight puppies and their mother were found inside a garage as the temperature outside reached 97 degrees, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to a home on Rolland Lane in Palm Coast shortly before 1:30 p.m. Saturday after a DoorDash driver reported seeing the dogs inside a two-level cage.
According to an arrest affidavit, the driver said the animals were panting and appeared to have no food or adequate water.
A responding deputy found eight approximately 4½-week-old puppies in the upper cage with one bowl containing a small amount of water. Their mother, a 2-year-old American Bully named Envy, was panting heavily in the lower cage next to an empty water bowl.
The deputy said 36-year-old Shafaira Johnson initially refused to provide water, saying Envy had already been given some and would vomit if she drank too much. Johnson filled the bowl after the deputy instructed her a second time, according to the affidavit.
Johnson told deputies the dogs had arrived at the home the previous night and that the puppies were fed every two hours. She said she could not take the animals inside because the homeowner did not allow dogs inside.
As animal control officers headed to the home, deputies said Johnson began closing the garage door and moving the puppies into a cardboard box. The affidavit states that she repeatedly refused orders to reopen the door.
Another person eventually handed the animals over to authorities. Deputies said the puppies were panting, warm to the touch and crying in distress. Envy was also panting heavily.
Animal control officers placed the dogs inside an air-conditioned vehicle. The Sheriff’s Office said all nine animals are safe and receiving care.
“Thankfully a DoorDash driver ‘saw something and said something,’ and now all nine dogs are safe, cool and being cared for,” Sheriff Rick Staly said.
Johnson was arrested on charges of animal cruelty, confining animals without sufficient food or water and resisting without violence. She was later released on a $1,500 bond.
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