ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A 20-year-old St. Johns County man was charged with two counts of animal cruelty Saturday after deputies found him trying to sell a pair of badly dehydrated 3-week-old puppies, according to a St. Johns County Sheriff's Office report.
Deputies said they got a call about Malachi Dentry trying to sell the puppies around businesses in Lewis Point Plaza off U.S. 1.
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When they found him, he had a zipped-up black purse that he was reluctant to open, deputies said.
Deputies said they found two small puppies inside with no ventilation or water in the bag. There was an empty formula bottle in the purse that the puppies appeared to be licking.
Deputies took the puppies to the St. Johns County Pet Center, but animal control had to euthanize them because they were severely dehydrated and had been infected with the parvovirus, the report said.