An alleged case of mass animal neglect in Ocoee, Florida, led to the arrest of two women, Kyla Rivard, 27, and Heather Lynn Drass, 45, after officials rescued 32 live dogs and found one dead dog at home described as "deplorable." WESH reported that the arrests resulted from an investigation initiated over a year ago. The Orange County Sheriff's Office charged Rivard with two counts of animal cruelty felonies following an incident in July 2023, when reports of concerned individuals prompted multiple welfare checks at a residence on Silver Star Road.
Officials could not promptly make contact but eventually entered an unlocked trailer on the property, driven by their concern to check on the animals inside. Once inside, two investigators found 18 dogs in conditions so unhygienic one could not help but be overwhelmed by the smell of urine and feces, according to an affidavit. Dogs were crammed into wire cages stacked on each other, with no access to clean water or food, as cited by the report by WESH. Further investigation led to the discovery of more dogs outside and in a shower stall where one dog had already died.
The same investigation revealed that five of the rescued dogs tested positive for canine parvovirus, a dangerous disease affecting white blood cells and the digestive system, and one dog was found with a severe hookworm infestation, which led to humane euthanasia. Rivard, alongside Drass, was found responsible for the dogs. Drass admitted during the interview that she would assist Rivard with the rescue dogs, often keeping them outdoors until there were too many and needing to bring some inside, as per her statements reported by ClickOrlando.
Record checks revealed that Rivard has a history of prior animal-related incidents, including two citations in 2023 after one of her dogs bit a passerby and another bit a neighbor. According to ClickOrlando, she had also been cited for animal neglect for leaving a pet chained up without adequate shelter outside the same home, with Orange County Animal Services previously warned about the situation. Rivard is also on probation for other unrelated charges until October 2025.
