Public records obtained by WPTV show Martin County Animal Control officers and sheriff's deputies have visited the home at least 11 times since 2020, all related to concerns about the dogs and their owner. One incident report from 2020 describes accounts of as many as 25 dogs inside the home. On multiple occasions, authorities noted feces on the floor and furniture. Records show the owner did clean up after initial visits and told animal control she had re-homed some of the dogs, but she eventually stopped allowing law enforcement inside.
A code enforcement officer took photos through the glass front door in 2023, noting a dog with feces on it. After that visit, the owner put up a fence. Todd said she also stopped letting the dogs outside, but he can still hear them barking in the house. When the wind picks up, Todd said the smell coming from next door is overwhelming, a combination of garbage and animal feces and urine.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said the fence has created a legal barrier to further investigation. You cannot even see into the property anymore, Budensiek said. She really has legally walled us off from investigating exactly what is going on inside.
Budensiek said deputies do not have a lawful way to enter the property unless there is visible evidence of mistreatment. Florida statutes require that confined animals be provided a sufficient quantity of good and wholesome food and water. Budensiek said that standard appears to be met based on what deputies can observe. In the most recent incident report from July 2025, the owner told deputies she had seven dogs, then redacted and said that she only had five dogs.