HOLIDAY, Fla. -- A Pasco County woman have been charged with 47 counts of animal cruelty.
- Woman faces 47 counts of animal cruelty
- Dozens of cats and 1 dog found inside a U-Haul
- Owner said she was moving and the animal would be OK
The Sheriff’s Office says Karen Tuttle-Kunnmann, 61, had 46 cats and 1 dog inside a U-Haul truck.
Neighbor Sevim Kline noticed the truck being loaded with the animals on Dixie Garden Loop in Holiday.
Kline says she tried to reason with the owner.
“I saw the cages stacked up and the animals in there," Kline said. "I asked her, 'Are you driving like this?’ She said ‘Yes I am.’ I told her don’t do that. Please don’t. They will die.”
Tuttle-Kunnmann said she was moving to Michigan and that the animals would be OK on the drive.
That's when Kline called the Sheriff's Office.
Deputies tried to reason with Tuttle-Kunnmann to find another to way to move the pets but she disagreed.
She was then arrested and charged with 47 counts of animal cruelty.
Neighbors say they’ve always noticed a lot of pets at the house but say they seem to be taken care of.
“She’s a good person. Not a bad person. She loved her animals. She just made a very bad decision,” Kline said.
Pasco County officials say the cats and dog are in stable condition at animal control. They will be looked at by a vet on Monday.
Each count of animal cruelty comes with $5,000 bond.