On September 11, 2023, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a concerned citizen regarding the well-being of a dog at a home on 31 Spanish Court in Fort Myers.
According to the criminal complaint obtained by Voice For Us, the caller also stated that they had not seen the dog in several days and were concerned the dog was not being cared for properly.
Responding deputies knocked on the front door of the residence in question and rang the doorbell several times but there was no answer at the door, and no sounds could be heard from inside the residence.
Deputies looked into the home through the glass on the door and noticed what appeared to be dog feces on the floor as well as a large cage. Deputies kept knocking and eventually the homeowner, identified as 52-years-old TERESA LYNN PIERRET (pictured), “opened the blinds, and deputies asked her to meet them at the front door”, stated the complaint.
As soon as PIERRET opened the door, deputies were hit with an overwhelming odor of feces.
They noticed dog food and black fur scattered throughout the floor, and were able to hear heavy, labored breathing.
Deputies found an adult black Labrador named BB.
According to the complaint, BB was laying down inside a cage, was experiencing labored breathing, and had audible wheezing. Deputies reported that BB “appeared lethargic as he did not respond to any verbal stimulus.”
On the floor around the cage deputies saw a large amount of black fur matching BB’s.
BB appeared wet, his fur was matted with feces, and he had a leash wrapped around his neck with the leash handle resting on top of the cage. The handle was also covered with feces and fur.
PIERRET told deputies BB was “just sleeping.”
Lee County Domestic Animal Services were called in and Officer Cobian responded to the scene.
Officer Cobian evaluated BB on site and she noted that loss of fur and labored breathing were consistent with symptoms of infection.
Deputies attempted to guide BB out of the cage, but BB struggled to stand. When eventually he was able to take a few steps, though unstable on his feet, he collapsed on his way to the door and was unable to get up again.
Deputies inspected BB further and noticed that he was not wearing a collar and underneath the leash wrapped around his neck was a laceration and red flesh visible.
After removing the leash from BB’s neck, deputies wrapped him in a blanket and carried him outside. BB was then taken to Blue Pearl Animal Hospital to undergo surgery.
PIERRET told deputies that she and her husband acquired BB in 2010 when he was approximately 6 months old. After PIERRET’s husband death in June 2023, she has not been able to care for BB. She said that BB was last seen by a vet over a year ago and that she was feeding him one scoop of dry dog food per day.
PIERRET then surrendered BB to Lee County Domestic Animal Services.
Giving the nature of the case, detectives with the South Criminal Investigations Division responded to the scene and assumed the investigation. They interviewed three different neighbors and according to the complaint, they all gave the same version of the facts and made consistent statements that PIERRET did not take BB outside to the bathroom more than once or twice a day. All three neighbors confirmed that BB was never seen outside exercising and that he was often left in the cage for hours when PIERRET was not home.
At that point detectives obtained and executed a search warrant at PIERRET’s home and PIERRET was interviewed at the South District substation.
PIERRET stated that she let BB go outside to use the bathroom once in the morning and once at night and admitted to leaving him in the cage with the leash around his neck. PIERRET explained she did not allow BB to roam the house, and he stayed inside his cage throughout the day. PIERRET went on to say that she gave BB water whenever “he appeared thirsty from a random kitchen dish” and when feeding him, “she would dump the food out onto the floor of his cage.” According to investigators, when they asked PIERRET about the injury on BB’s neck, she “acted like she was not aware of the large laceration.”
PIERRET also stated that she hadn't bathed BB in over a month, hadn't performed any dental hygiene, nor had she trimmed his nails.
Detectives then heard back from Blue Pearl Veterinarian Dr. Patti Sages who reported that BB “would have taken at least several weeks to reach the observed level of severity.” Additionally, Dr. Sages found BB to be severely dehydrated.
As a result of the entirety of the investigation, detectives found probable cause to charge PIERRET with felony aggravated animal cruelty. She was booked into the Lee County Jail, a.k.a. Marceno Motel, on September 11, 2023, and released the following day.
Court records show PIERRET is due back in court on November 15, 2023.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office tells me that BB has since been adopted!
Disclaimer: This story is sourced from official documents obtained by Voice For Us.
