MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A woman accused of neglecting two dogs, one of whom starved to death, after she was hired to watch over them in Sunny Isles Beach bonded out of the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center Friday afternoon, but didn’t have much to say to Local 10 News as she walked out.
Antonella Rivoir, 20, of Berwyn, Illinois, was arrested by the Sunny Isles Beach Police Department Thursday on two animal cruelty counts and was released on a $10,000 total bond.
“Respectfully, I can’t share my side of the story as (of) right now, but I do intend on speaking eventually,” Rivoir told Local 10 News reporter Rosh Lowe as she walked out of jail.
“You have your own dog, don’t you? What if the dogs were finicky and they didn’t want to eat or drink?” asked Lowe.
“No comment,” Rivoir responded.
According to an arrest report from the Sunny Isles Beach Police Department, officers were dispatched to an apartment near the 16000 block of Collins Avenue on June 27 after a housekeeper made a horrifying discovery.
Owner Patricia Gutierrez told police that she and her husband left the country on May 30, and were scheduled to be away for 30 days.
Before leaving for her trip, Gutierrez hired Antonella Rivoir, 20, of Berwyn, Illinois, to stay in her apartment and take care of her cat and five dogs full-time while she was away on vacation. She said she gave her specific instructions on how to care for her pets before she left.
Police said a few days before returning home, Gutierrez told her housekeeper to go clean her apartment.
The housekeeper arrived to an apartment covered in urine and feces, police said. She said the pets in the home looked “sad” and appeared to have lost weight and said she had never seen the home so filthy after working there for a year.
The housekeeper would then notice that “Daisy,” an 8-year-old Pomeranian, and “Lucy,” a 13-year-old Pomeranian, were lying down stiff and unable to walk. She ended up taking both dogs to a veterinarian in Surfside.
Police said both dogs were later taken in an ambulance to an Aventura animal hospital due to their “severe condition.”
Authorities said once both dogs arrived in Aventura, Daisy was given CPR but couldn’t be saved. The incident report said Lucy was able to recover, but had bruises all over her body.
“When Daisy laid unconscious, they (Rivoir and her boyfriend) were out snorkeling,” Gutierrez told Local 10 News in an interview Thursday.
A necropsy report stated that the cause of Daisy’s death was due to complications of neglect and severe dehydration, according to police.
“They were not given food or water for 10 days,” Gutierrez told Local 10 News.
Gutierrez said after arriving back home and reviewing camera footage, she saw one video that showed Daisy following Rivoir into the bedroom without a camera and then heard Daisy “squeal in pain.”
She said moments later, the video showed Daisy limping. Gutierrez told police that she believed Rivoir purposefully unplugged the cameras at certain times so they would not record.
She also said that she left the exact amount of food her dogs would need throughout the time she was gone, but none of the food was used and none of their required medication was given to them.
Investigators said Rivoir’s actions, or lack thereof, resulted in the “cruel death” of Daisy and the “unnecessary pain and suffering” of Lucy.
“I can only tell you there are people that are evil,” Sunny Isles Beach police Sgt. Melissa Porro told Local 10 News.
According to jail records, Rivoir is facing two counts of animal cruelty with intent to injure or kill.
Patricia Gutierrez created a GoFundMe account to benefit Saving Sage Animal Rescue Foundation in honor of Daisy. If you would like to donate, click here.