ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County is hailing one of its code enforcement officers as a hero for leading investigators to three severely malnourished dogs.
Harmoni Houser spotted the golden retrievers while inspecting apartments and called Animal Services to have the dogs removed.
The dogs’ owners were identified as Sandra & Joshua Goldberg, a mother-son duo who are now facing animal cruelty charges.
Investigators arrested them earlier this month and accused them of starving the dogs.
They said the Goldbergs were given multiple chances in multiple counties to have the dogs gain weight, dating back to early March, though they told investigators the emaciated conditions began in December.
By the time Houser stumbled across the dogs, they had lost even more weight, court documents show. The smallest weighed just 26 pounds.
“When the dog was given food, he ate ravenously,” a veterinarian reported for each of the three (one dog was female).
“I knew something needed to be done,” Houser, a former Orange County Animal Services staff member, said. “The dogs didn’t look healthy. Their bones were protruding out of their back hips, their ribs were showing. One of them was walking sideways. I knew I needed to make a call.”
The county reported all three dogs are safe and recovering.,
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