Suspects accused of dumping sick puppies in a Largo park illegally bred dogs: Police

LARGO, Fla. - Two suspects were arrested and face 12 counts of felony animal cruelty charges each after police say they abandoned dogs in Taylor Park.

The backstory:

According to the Largo Police Department, officials were notified that 11 dogs, nine puppies and two female dogs, were dumped at the park on Dec. 19. Staff at Taylor Park found the nine puppies in a storage container while the two adult female dogs were found roaming the park. 

The dogs were taken to a local animal hospital, which is where authorities discovered that the dogs, identified as purebred Shiba Inus, were sick with parvovirus. A tenth puppy was brought in separately the following day and also tested positive parvovirus.

One of the dogs, Frosty, died after being rescued.  

"Frosty had passed away from his physical injuries. He had a snapped leg and a dislocated jaw. And when we did the necropsy, we found a huge hole in his small intestines and some other weak points also lining up with a blunt force trauma. He also had parvo as well," Jaime McKnight, founder of Pawlicious Poochie Pet Rescue, told FOX 13. "It's a heartbreaking loss, especially to know what he endured before we rescued him."

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Police identified 42-year-old Mary Ann Halahuni Gamble and 43-year-old Fred Gamble as the suspects in the case.

According to investigators, both suspects were illegally breeding the animals and knew that some of the litter of puppies were sick and died after being sold.

On Friday, both suspects were taken into custody. Law enforcement says the investigation is ongoing.

The animals are receiving intensive treatment at Skyway Animal Hospital in St. Petersburg. Staff there said four puppies remained in critical condition as of Dec. 22, but early responses to treatment had been encouraging.

"Everybody really rallied for these dogs. And look at the results: Got two people in custody that are being held accountable for the damage that they've done and the lives that they have taken," McKnight said. "And I've been able to rescue all of these dogs because of everyone's help."

Dig deeper:

Parvovirus is a highly contagious and potentially deadly viral infection. When left untreated, the virus has a 10% survival rate, veterinarians told FOX 13.  

What's next:

The dogs will remain hospitalized for roughly another week, then move to Pawlicious Poochiee Pet Rescue for recovery and eventual adoption. Staff have already given them holiday-themed names: the mothers Holly and Jolly, and the puppies named after reindeer.

McKnight said her rescue just received four additional Shiba Inus related to the two suspects. The hope is that the rest of the remaining dogs will make a full recovery. 

"Now we need support, because now I've got four more dogs that I've gotta vet," McKnight added. "It's been a huge financial undertaking from our rescue, for sure."

According to the rescue, parvo treatment costs $3,000 minimum per dog.