
MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — The owner of Pawsitively Paradise, a dog training facility in Florida, has been arrested and charged with animal cruelty, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
Months of investigation into the suspicious deaths of three dogs left in the care of Nikki Camerlengo’s business in Palm City led to the discovery that the animals died as a result of blunt force trauma.
Camerlengo was arrested Wednesday and faces one count of felony animal cruelty. She was first arrested in Fort Pierce after moving the grooming and boarding business when the sheriff’s office initially opened a criminal investigation.
Back in March, the sheriff’s office received its third formal complaint about the death of a dog under this facility. 2-year-old Beau, a Cavapoo puppy, died under their care, along with Flurie, a 15-year-old Goldendoodle, and Mako, a 2-year-old Flat Coat Retriever, who died under Camerlengo’s care. Officials said all dogs were in good health when they were first taken to her business.
The Cavapoo was found to have severe blows to the neck, chest, belly, and private areas, causing hemorrhaging to the brain, officials said.
The sheriff’s office said the Goldendoodle died from acute hemorrhaging to the brain and the Flat Coat Retriever drowned in his own vomit, according to a private necropsy.
“Forensic experts revealed that the dogs did not die quickly, instead they succumbed to long and painful deaths,” officials said.
One of Camerlengo’s customers, Alexis Kaclik, spoke to NBC affiliate WPTV, saying she went to the sheriff’s office on April 1 to report an incident from 2018 involving this facility. She said her dog was extremely sick and seemed to have trouble breathing.
“I had brought her into the vet and she ended up having a partially collapsed trachea,” Kaclik told WPTV. She added that while her dog is still alive, she isn’t back to normal.
Last year, the MCSO’s Animal Services wrote six citations to the facility for improper care issues. They also received “unconfirmed information” regarding additional dog deaths.
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