3 emaciated Dalmatians rescued by LCSO; man arrested

Reporter: Annalise Iraola
Published: Updated:
Dalmatian
John Cuomo mugshot. CREDIT: LCSO

A house garage was a scorching prison for three Dalmatians and the neglect was so severe the Dalmatian Rescue needed to step in to report it.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested John Cuomo on Thursday for animal abuse, but the details of what they saw were horrific.

Dalmatian Rescue of South Florida reported the neglect to LCSO after the homeowners arranged to surrender Red, Stela and Argo, the three Dalmatians.

Deputies learned all the dogs were kept inside the garage without any air conditioning or access to food or water.

LCSO posted a video of the arrest and the condition of the dogs to social media.

Dalmatian
Dalmatians rescued by LCSO. CREDIT: LCSO

The video starts with deputies making contact with Cuomo at his home before cutting to photos of emaciated dogs.

The Dalmatians reached a point of malnourishment so severe you can clearly see their skeletal structure underneath their fur.

Cuomo was charged with three counts of aggravated animal cruelty, three counts of abandonment of animals and resisting arrest.

He had his first appearance in court on Friday and remains in custody at the Lee County Jail.

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