Florida dog had to be put down after being dragged: Sheriff

The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox.

An Orange County Animal Services volunteer has been charged with cruelty to animals.

It comes after the volunteer, Joel Levine, is accused of dragging a dog by its leash, ultimately suffering injuries that meant the dog had to be put down.

WESH 2 spoke with one of the witnesses cited in documents from the Orange County Sheriff's Office, Rubie Garcia. She says she and her sister were at Orange County Animal Services on Nov. 16 to see a dog.

"She wanted to pick out an early birthday present for her son," Garcia said. "She'd seen a dog and one that she was interested in."

But the dog wouldn't make it home with them. In the end, Garcia and her family members would end up giving witness statements to the sheriff's office.

"It looked healthy. It looked fine," she said. "It was just a puppy."

According to documents from the Orange County Sheriff's Office, Levine went to take a fifteen-week-old puppy out to the play yard. The documents say Levine put a slip lead around the dog's neck. It doesn't have a safety mechanism to limit how tight it can go.

In Garcia's sworn statement to deputies, she said Levine was bringing the dog out for her and her family. She says the dog didn't seem like he wanted to go.

"But the guy just went ahead and put the leash or rope or whatever you want to call it on to the dog and yanked him out," Garcia said. "The dog just laid there like didn't want to move but he still pulled him out."

Garcia says they made it halfway to the play area.

"The dog started bleeding from its mouth and it wouldn't move. It was just being dragged," she said.

According to documents from the sheriff's department, "the puppy went unconscious from the asphyxia being inflicted on it, but even so, the defendant continued on dragging the puppy's limp body by the leash."

"It was very terrifying," Garcia said. "Because you wouldn't expect that from an animal shelter."

Orange County Animal Services declined to do an interview with WESH 2. But sent a statement saying: "A tragic incident transpired on November 16th, 2022, in which a volunteer potentially mishandled a pet, resulting in severe injury. Our veterinarians examined the shelter guest; but unfortunately, they were not able to save his life. We take these incidents seriously. So, in accordance with the law, it was immediately reported to law enforcement for their review. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office investigated and ultimately decided to move forward with charges against the individual in question."

The documents from the sheriff's department show that the veterinarian who treated the dog said the puppy's condition deteriorated and it couldn't breathe on its own. They said putting the dog down was necessary.

Garcia said of her sister, "When she finally got the call that the dog had to be put down, she was really really upset about it after that."

Levine was released on a $1,500 bond. WESH spoke with him over the phone, but he declined to comment.

Top headlines: