Seminole County dog breeder charged with animal cruelty
A Central Florida dog breeder is facing multiple animal cruelty charges after investigators discovered she allowed puppies to pass away without getting them proper veterinary care.
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Vera Clark, owner of Maximilian Schnauzers and Ooh La La Frenchies in Seminole County, was hit with four counts in April following an inspection of her facility.
However, county officials said Clark admitted to more than what was in the charges and multiple agencies still have ongoing investigations.
According to the arrest report, four of Clark’s puppies passed away across four different litters since January. In each of those cases, Clark would self-diagnose and treat the sick puppy without calling a vet, and categorized the deaths as “failure to thrive,” and “fading puppy syndrome.”
Seminole County Emergency Services Director Alan Harris said Clark’s operation had been on their radar for years, but they lacked any probable cause until a phone call alerted them to “questionable surgical practices.”
“Health care certificates were missing, rabies certificates were missing,” Harris listed. “Animals were unable to be isolated if they were sick, and then further investigations have found other anomalies.”
Harris said those “anomalies” included the discovery of expired medication and non-dog medication, all of which investigators were told was being used on the dogs. The facility also lacked a commercial license, which is among the 60 civil citations Clark has also been issued.
He said investigators believe Clark had approximately 70 dogs living at the facility and at other people’s homes, many of which were young puppies and pregnant mothers, and a number of which were ill.
Among the ex-employees now talking to investigators is Nina Nelson, a veterinary technician who worked for Clark from July to November, and returned briefly to assist her mid-April.
Nelson, who said she wasn’t the source of the complaint, said she regretted not going to law enforcement sooner.
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“We’ve seen these dogs dying,” she said. “We’ve seen them not get vet care… it’s just outrageous and people need to know that this is not okay anymore.”
Nelson said Clark used to have a good operation, but she believed standards have slipped as Clark struggled financially. She described Clark as “overwhelmed.”
Nelson is now caring for two French bulldogs that used to be among Clark’s breeders, including Maggie, who lost seven puppies last month and had to be spayed shortly after. Nelson said her current veterinarian believed Maggie was given medication that was not meant to be used on a pregnant dog.
She said Clark, who charges up to $25,000 per dog, planned to re-breed Maggie, and the two fell out over the issue.
“I was told she that apparently was a $20,000 investment. And she was going to potentially make $75,000 off this dog,” Nelson said.
Clark, in an email, said all of the accusations against her were false and made by disgruntled employees.
“These false accusation have left me devastated,” she said.
In a series of Facebook posts, she defended her practice – and its puppy mortality rate, saying it was normal for a purebred dog to have 30% of puppies die and her rate was lower than that.
When WFTV stopped by her building Wednesday, her employees said she wasn’t present and defended her. They led multiple groups of healthy-looking dogs to the front gate but did not allow access to the facility or produce any puppies.
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Clark then sent her veterinarian to defend her.
“Can you tell me what animal abuse constitutes?” Dr. Roman Pilip asked the news crew. “I mean, is it a farmer killing all these rats that are eating his grain? does that constitute an animal abuse? Or a farmer that is prodding his cow?”
Pilip said Clark went to him weekly for care and medications. However, he admitted she always brought the dogs to his facility and it had been a long time since he’d visited hers.
While he said all her animals were well cared for, he was unable to answer questions about her practices outside of what he’d seen, including the accusations in the arrest report.
“I don’t know what she does in her spare time,” he said. “I only see what she brings.”
Pilip did push back on the assertion there was no veterinary paperwork, saying investigators hadn’t looked in the right places.
“There are a lot of dogs out there that will need to be adopted, do not go to a breeder, go to a rescue,” Harris said. “It’s cheaper. You can find the dog that you want. Those dog runs that need loving homes.”
He also gave advice for people who were still bent on breeders.
“Do lots and lots and lots and lots -- that’s four lots -- of research because there’s a high likelihood it could be a puppy mill, and if it’s puppy mill, that means you’re going to have a sick dog,” he said.
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