PALM CITY — A 62-year-old woman was arrested after deputies investigating complaints about the smell and noise from her home found more than 20 dogs living in what Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek described as severely deteriorated conditions.
Paige O’Donnell, who Budensiek said was an animal breeder, was arrested in connection with the investigation at her home in unincorporated Palm City. She will face two charges for each dog recovered, with the case currently involving 20 felony counts of animal cruelty and 20 misdemeanor counts of improper confinement.
Budensiek said neighbors had complained about the conditions at the home. O’Donnell had previously been taken into custody for alcohol abuse, and the Sheriff's Office had conducted regular check-ins with her in the past.
According to Budensiek, O'Donnell eventually learned how to make it difficult for deputies to contact her.
Deputies spent weeks conducting surveillance and attempting to negotiate with O'Donnell before she agreed last week to surrender one dog.
Budensiek said the dog appeared to be in decent health, but had clearly been recently bathed and had its fur trimmed. The dog still had matted fur and was malnourished.
The Sheriff's Office sought to make sure investigators had sufficient evidence before obtaining a search warrant, Budensiek said. He referenced a Martin County animal hoarding case from about 20 years ago in which investigators lost a lawsuit after rushing the investigation and ultimately had to return animals to the conditions from which they had been removed.
After obtaining a search warrant, deputies entered O'Donnell's home and found dogs hiding throughout the property.
Budensiek said feces were found throughout the house, including in food and water bowls. The home's drywall and furniture were also destroyed, and the overall structure was deteriorated.
More than 20 dogs are believed to have been living inside the home, including juvenile dogs. All of the dogs have been border collies, Budensiek said.
“Some of these dogs are almost unrecognizable as they pull them out. That’s how poorly they are groomed,” he said.
The Humane Society is taking custody of the animals.
“They’re inundated. We already took 120 animals from the last hoarding case,” he said. “They need money to move those resources wherever they can and make sure these animals are properly taken care of.”
Budensiek said O'Donnell has continued to deny the number of dogs in the home and has not cooperated with investigators.
“Paige has not only been playing games with us, but she’s also gone through legal counsel and learned from her mistakes,” he said. “She is a calculated animal abuser.”
Budensiek said O'Donnell denied help offered by the Humane Society, the Sheriff's Office and other local offices.
“I’m sad for the dogs. I’m sad they lived like that for a period of time,” he said. “And then anger. She knew better. She knew what she was doing.”
Budensiek said part of the prosecution will involve making sure O'Donnell cannot own animals again.
He said the dogs face significant rehabilitation and may need to have their fur completely shaved to address their condition.
The investigation remains ongoing. Budensiek said this is the second major animal hoarding case in recent memory in Martin County and encouraged anyone with information about another case to contact authorities.