ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – An Ocoee woman was arrested on Thursday after dozens of dogs were rescued from her home, according to court records.
Per a charging affidavit, the arrest stems from July 2023, when deputies said the dogs were discovered living in deplorable conditions at 230 E. Silver Star Road.
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At the time, investigators said they’d gotten a tip about the home from a concerned witness, who reported that the owners hadn’t been seen at the property in days.
As a result, investigators responded to the property a couple of days later, noticing a “strong smell of urine and feces,” as well as many dogs barking inside.
“The dogs were observed to be in filthy conditions without access to clean drinking water or food,” the affidavit reads. “The dogs were housed in wire cages stacked two and three high, allowing urine and feces to fall into the bottom row of cages.”
Following a search, deputies announced that Orange County Animal Services had helped remove 32 dogs from the property, though another dog in the home was already dead by that point.
According to deputies, the dead animal had been found left with a still-living dog in a shower stall, which was blocked shut by a plastic dog food bin filled with dirt. In addition, deputies said several dogs tested positive for Parvovirus.
The incident kicked off an animal cruelty investigation involving one of the dogs’ owners, 27-year-old Kyla Rivard.
Detectives said they learned that Rivard had been operating a “dog rescue” out of the home with the other owner, 45-year-old Heather Lynn Drass.
Drass reportedly told deputies that the two would take turns caring for the dogs, though she’d gone to the hospital a few days before deputies arrived at the home.
“Drass stated that Kyla Rivard would normally come to the property every day, but there were times that Kyla Rivard would not show up for a couple of days,” the affidavit reads. “Drass stated that Kyla Rivard has a bad drug problem, to include heroin and methamphetamine, and would occasionally overdose on the property.”
As a result of the investigation, both Rivard and Drass have been arrested. Both women face two counts of animal cruelty and 11 counts of confining animals without food, water or exercise.
Court records show that Rivard is currently on probation through October 2025 for arrests involving charges of trafficking in stolen property and giving false information to a pawnbroker.
In addition, these records reveal that Rivard has been cited several times in the past for animal-related infractions of county ordinances.
In 2023, she was cited after one of her animals bit someone walking by the house and another bit a neighbor who was taking out trash, the reports state.
Furthermore, court records say that Rivard had been cited for animal neglect after leaving a pet chained up outside the home without proper shelter, with the citation noting that OCAS had been advised about it twice before the citation was issued.
News 6 is reaching out to Rivard for comment on the recent charges.
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