Paige O'Donnell, 62, ran her Palm City, Florida property as a Border Collie breeding operation. Instead, deputies found dozens of dogs trapped inside a home so filthy that investigators needed Tyvek protective suits just to search it. Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said the dogs, which should have had white-and-black coats, were "solid black from the feces."

Thirty-six Border Collies had been pulled out as of the search, with more still hiding inside, and there was no working air conditioning in the Florida heat. Sheriff Budensiek didn't describe this as neglect that simply got out of hand. He said O'Donnell "kept these dogs trapped in this jail that she has behind us and abused them for lack of a better word." Deputies reported roughly a foot and a half of missing drywall, destroyed furniture, and feces covering food and water bowls throughout the home.

O'Donnell is charged with felony animal cruelty and improper confinement, and is expected to face at least 40 charges total once the investigation wraps up.

An arrest and a court date shouldn't be where this ends. Someone allowed to call herself a breeder kept three dozen dogs living in conditions deputies themselves needed protective gear to enter. That should never have gone unnoticed for as long as it did, and it shouldn't be met with a plea deal that treats dozens of neglected animals as a minor offense.

Sign the petition to demand Paige O'Donnell is prosecuted on every charge she faces, and that Florida closes the gap that let a "breeder" operate unchecked until three dozen dogs were already suffering.