Largo police say they have arrested two people on animal cruelty charges after they abandoned 11 dogs, including nine puppies, in a park.
The dogs, which included two adult females, were found abandoned in Taylor Park, 1100 Eighth Ave. SW on Dec. 19, police said.
The dogs were taken to an animal hospital and were diagnosed with parvovirus, which causes acute gastrointestinal illness.
Police said that “through various investigative techniques” they were able to identify two people who had been illegally breeding the dogs and knew that they were selling sick dogs that later died.
Police on Friday arrested Mary Anne Halahuni Gamble, 42, and her husband Fred Gamble, 43, on 12 counts each of felony animal cruelty in connection with the case.
Both were being held at the Pinellas County Jail Friday afternoon with bail initially set at $60,000 each.
Pawlicious Poochie Pet Rescue, a nonprofit in St. Petersburg, took the dogs and worked to nurse them back to health with the help of Skyway Animal Hospital. A 10th puppy was brought to Pawlicious Poochie a couple of days later and had severely broken hind leg and dislocated jaw, according to updates posted on its social media accounts.
“This story has brought people together all over for the common goal to help move heaven and earth to save these precious souls,” a Christmas Day post said.
The 10th puppy, a male that the rescue organization named Frosty, died Tuesday night, Pawlicious Poochie announced in another post.
“We are all emotionally and physically defeated and exhausted,” the post said.
The organization celebrated the arrests in another post Friday and said it is still seeking donations for the dogs’ care.
