3 Arrests Follow Seizure Of 77 Dogs In Riverview

Seventy-seven dogs have been confiscated from a Riverview puppy mill, and three people have been arrested on charges of mistreating the animals, Hillsborough County Animal Services spokeswoman Marti Ryan said.

The scene is at PM Tinies, 13605 U.S. 301.

Promotional T-shirts call PM Tinies a "happy puppy place," but Ryan said the scene is anything but. She said dozens of animals there lived in their own feces.

The business buys and sells small-breed dogs such as Yorkshire terriers and Chihuahuas. Investigators are still counting the number of dogs they're seizing.

An anonymous tip from a concerned citizen led investigators to the scene. The three people arrested will be charged with improper confinement of animals and animal cruelty, Ryan said.

One of those arrested is the business's proprietor, Patricia Martin Walters, and it wasn't immediately clear what roles the other two played, authorities said. They are Daniel Hickman and Elaine Cave, Ryan said.

The three were booked into Orient Road Jail this afternoon.

Walters, 73, has been charged with 41 counts of confinement of animals without food and water and 41 counts of animal cruelty. Her bail is set at $41,000.

Cave, 69, and Hickman, 41, were each charged with 36 counts of confinement of animals without food and water and 36 counts of animal cruelty. Cave's and Hickman's bail is set at $36,000 each.

The three all live in different trailers at the site, and each had a firearm, Ryan said.

Ryan said that when the case's lead investigator asked for Walters' identification, Walters threatened to shoot the investigator.

Walter is considering signing over ownership of most of the dogs to Animal Services but hasn't done so, Ryan said.

"It's disgusting," Ryan said of the scene. "There is feces and urine strewn through a home where people sit and read and live. It's a horrible existence for the animals and not particularly healthy for people. It's not a nice place to spend your morning."

The dogs have fecal matter and shredded newspapers caked in their paws, and some have long nails and dental issues. Some of the dogs might have tumors, Ryan said.

The dogs will receive medical evaluations, including treatment for parasites.

They also will get food and water.

"Some are very antisocial because they're not used to being anything other than a breeding machine," Ryan said. "They haven't been given much kindness from people."