MARTIN COUNTY – The owner of 36 Border Collies rescued on Aug. 10 from her Palm City home remains in the Martin County Jail on a $275,000 bond, as of Aug. 12, according to the jail web site.
Paige Anne O’Donnell, 62, of the 1200 block of Southwest Alligator Street in Palm City, was arrested on Aug. 10 after Martin County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Animal Services Unit employees confiscated the 36 dogs from what Sheriff John Budensiek said were living in “deplorable conditions.”
O’Donnell faces 36 third-degree felony counts of torture involving pain, serious physical injury or death; and 36 first-degree misdemeanor counts of keeping animals in an enclosure without exercise and air.
During her first appearance in court on Aug. 11, a judge set the bail and ordered that O’Donnell may not own or possess, either temporarily or permanently, any animals as a condition of the bond, the sheriff’s office wrote in a Facebook posting.
All the animals were turned over to the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast in Palm City where they are being evaluated, cleaned, treated and care for, the sheriff’s office noted in its Facebook posting.
The home is near Southwest Mapp Road and south of Southwest Martin Highway.
“From the outside, the home appeared well-maintained, neatly groomed and fenced off. Inside was a much different story,” the sheriff’s office wrote in the Facebook posting. “The conditions were so deplorable that deputies and Animal Services officers had to wear Tyvek protective clothing while working inside the home. Feces, urine-soaked materials, boxes and debris throughout the residence made the process of locating and safely removing the animals extremely challenging.”
Throughout the investigation, which actually began in 2020, O’Donnell claimed she had no more than five dogs inside the home, the Sheriff’s Office noted.
However, once the sheriff’s office was able to obtain a search warrant, officers discovered the 36 Border Collies inside the house “under conditions that failed to provide a sanitary and appropriate living environment and restricted their ability to obtain appropriate exercise and adequate environmental conditions,” according to an arrest affidavit.
In addition, an “inoperable air-conditioning system demonstrated that the animals had been maintained in conditions that subjected them to unnecessary suffering,” according to the arrest affidavit.
The Humane Society is asking for the public’s help by donating what it can towards the care of the 36 dogs.
To donate, go to hstc1.org/Donate.