BIG COPPITT KEY, Fla. — Deputies arrested a Florida Keys man early Thursday morning for having three sick and underfed dogs, according to an arrest warrant.
Donald Ray Sargent, 49, of Big Coppitt Key, is now facing three animal cruelty charges.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, animal control officers were sent to Ed Swift Road on New Year’s Day after they received a call about a bloodied dog, and found the “underweight” dog, which appeared to be a stray.
Authorities said as an animal control officer took the dog to the vet, a 28-year-old woman flagged him down, told him that the dog belonged to Sargent, her boyfriend, and claimed the dog “was muscular, not skinny.”
Deputies said Sargent showed up and was told that the dog was going to be taken to an animal hospital for treatment. Once at Cruz Animal Hospital on Ramrod Key, animal control officers and deputies told Sargent that he was not getting the dog back, pending an investigation.
According to the warrant, the dog, nicknamed “Spike” by the Florida Keys SPCA, was in a state of “moderately severe” dehydration and was malnourished. The dog also had hookworms.
Deputies said they went to Sargent’s home on Ed Swift Road the next day to seize two more dogs. According to the warrant, he told deputies that their names were “dog one” and “dog two.” SPCA staffers named them “Ellie” and “Rose Bud.”
“Ellie,” 22 months old, was considered dehydrated and “one step above emaciated,” with pressure sores from lack of exercise, hair loss, and staples in her left elbow, the warrant states. Deputies said she had “vulvar discharge” and an indication of an infection.
The 6-month-old “Rose Bud” was slightly better fed but still “underweight,” deputies said, and had a dehydration level of “moderately severe.”
“Rose Bud” also had hookworms and signs of an infection, the warrant states.
Authorities said the dogs had been “in good health” and “in adequate outdoor kennels” when SPCA staff investigated a barking complaint in October 2024.
Sargent was no longer listed in active MCSO inmate records as of early Thursday afternoon. Records show he’s scheduled to be arraigned on Jan. 29.
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