Two Brooksville residents were arrested Thursday on 10 counts of animal cruelty. 

  • Dennis Rodgers, Deborah Meinhardt arrested on animal cruelty charges
  • Numerous neglected animals seized from Brooksville property
  • Deputies found horses, dogs, birds, squirrels, cats -- all suffering from neglect

The Hernando County Sheriff's Office responded to 5253 Oney Drive in Brooksville on Aug. 25 in reference to a report of numerous endangered animals on the property. 

Deputies met with Dennis Rodgers, 50, at the property who said he was the caretaker for the animals, which are owned by Deborah Meinhardt, 51. 

Deputies walked around the property to visually examine each animal and noticed seven horses on the property suffering from various stages of neglect. They also noticed the water troughs were filled with algae and tadpole infested water. Many of the horses had no feed, hay, or grass readily available to eat, deputies said. 

Several of the horses had untreated wounds, overgrown or broken hoofs, and loss of muscle mass. 

There were also several dogs on the property that were dirty and infested with fleas, and appeared to be malnourished with various health issues, deputies noted. 

They found a blue and gold macaw on the front porch living in a cage filled with feces and no water. Two grey squirrels were also in a small cage. 

Deputies checked out the inside of the home, which they said was filled with excessive debris and animal feces, and had only a small trail to move around the house. 

The house also had a strong smell of ammonia, which deputies said made their eyes burn and made it hard to breath. 

The deputies found three more dogs inside the home, along with three Sun Conures in one cage and two cats -- all suffering from neglect. 

Deputies had to call for assistance to have all the animals removed from the property and taken to Hernando County Animal Services. 

The veterinarian report on Aug. 29 indicated all seven horses were suffering from neglect, were malnourished, and were kept in poor living conditions. 

Deputies returned to the home on Aug. 31 and arrested Meinhardt and Rogers on 10 counts of animal cruelty. Their bond was set at $10,000 apiece.