‘Bones with skin:’ 2 arrested after starving puppy found in Brevard home bathroom

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Two women were arrested after a starving puppy was found in a bathroom at a local home, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey announced on Wednesday.

In a video posted to social media, Ivey explained that the issue stemmed back to March 27, when a local animal rescue got hold of the dog and took it to a nearby animal hospital.

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“They got there; the dog was extremely malnourished, emaciated — in just the worst of conditions,” Ivey said. “And it was a puppy that had been not fed, hadn’t given water (or) anything else.”

According to Ivey, the two women in this case wouldn’t let investigators into the house because “they didn’t want us to see how bad the conditions were.”

As Ivey told it, the puppy had been kept in a bathroom without food, water or veterinary care, though its health finally deteriorated to the point that the women called in for a rescue.

But even after the puppy was eventually rescued, investigators found that the animal was so malnourished that it couldn’t even stand up, Ivey added.

“Our veterinarians told us that on the scale of 1-9, which is the scale that’s used to tell the health and condition of the dog, this dog was a one,” he said. “Basically, this dog was bones with skin.”

However, Ivey stated that the women claimed they didn’t know anything was wrong with the dog.

“Well, guess what? Trick or treat: you know something’s wrong now because you’re about to go to jail for it,” Ivey said.

The two women were identified as Alexza Ramos, 26, and Keishawna Mass, 26.

Both women face charges of animal cruelty and keeping an animal enclosed without exercise or fresh air.

In the meantime, Ivey reminded residents to report any cases of animal abuse by calling (321) 633-2024.

No additional information has been provided at this time.