INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A 52-year-old woman is suspected of trying to sell sick, mite-infected puppies while keeping them in a van without water last month, deputies said.
The woman, who did not have the proper health documents required to sell the puppies, was arrested Tuesday on a warrant.
Bonii I. Dyjasek, of Tennessee, was charged with three counts of unlawful confinement of animal and six counts of offering an animal for sale without health requirement.
Deputies spoke with an informant about 12:30 p.m. Dec. 4. The informant said he saw a woman, later identified as Dyjasek, selling puppies out of a van in a Wawa parking lot in the 1100 block of U.S. 1.
He said one of the puppies looked sick and that he didn’t see any water for them inside the van. Deputies went to the scene and spoke with Dyjasek, who told them she brought the puppies in from her business in Tennessee and that she had every right to sell them as long as she had shot records.
Dyjasek showed deputies the shot records for the six puppies who were in the van, but none of the records had veterinarians names or licenses on them, deputies said. She didn’t have health certificates for the sale and said that her home state only required shot records, deputies said.
Deputies told Dyjasek that she was required to have the health certificates before selling the puppies. Dyjasek opened the van door and showed deputies the puppies, none of which had water dishes. The puppies were a Black Lab mix, three Boston Terriers-Pug mix, one Shepherd Poodle mix, a Great Pyrenees and a large Husky.
The Boston Terrier-Pug mix puppies were sluggish and didn’t have much energy, deputies said. Dyjasek told deputies the puppies all were being treated from a veterinarian in Tennessee, but she didn’t have documentation to back up those claims.
Deputies and an animal care worker took the three Boston Terrier-Pug mix puppies to a hospital because they appeared dehydrated. Doctors determined the puppies were dehydrated, underweight, under eight weeks of age, had a severe ear mite infection and bloated abdomens, deputies said.
Dyjasek was released Tuesday on $45,000 bail and has an arraignment at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 20 in court, according to jail and court records.