FLORIDA -- James Marinakis was trying to create a super-breed of dog called a Centurion on his 24-acre property west of Boca Raton, but his 59 dogs lived in cruel conditions, animal control officials said.
Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control officers on Thursday seized the 59 dogs, five parrots and one horse from Marinakis' property on South 200th Street.
The dogs, which included mixes of Shar-Peis, mastiffs and pit bulls, were kept in cages that were not even high enough for the dogs to properly stand and many had skin problems or bite wounds from fighting, said Capt. David Walesky of Animal Care and Control. One cage housed nine puppies that looked to be about four months old, Walesky said.
"He's trying to create his own breed of dog," Walesky said. "To us, he just looks like a collector [hoarder] of dogs who can't keep up."
Marinakis, whose history with Animal Care and Control dates back at least 10 years, has told investigators that he takes a "holistic approach" to caring for his animals and thinks they should be left alone. The horse that was seized had an infected wound that did not look like it was being treated properly, Walesky said.
Marinakis, 57, was arrested and charged with five felony counts and three misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.
REPEAT ANIMAL CRUELTY OFFENDER
Two years ago, Marinakis pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge related to animal cruelty and was sentenced to probation.
Investigators recently started looking into conditions at the property after Tri-County Humane Society officials received a complaint that there were dead puppies on Marinakis' property, according to his arrest report.
On Thursday, at least 40 horses and 15 birds that had adequate housing and food remained on the property, Walesky said
The 59 dogs that were seized will almost certainly cause crowding problems at the already busy shelter, Walesky said.
"A lot of the dogs were kept in cages, they're not socialized and they don't necessarily enjoy being around people," he said. "They're not social or friendly dogs so they will be hard to place. The puppies are possibly adoptable."
Walesky said the shelter has a wide variety of other dogs that are ready to be adopted, which would ease crowding.
To contact Animal Care and Control, call 561-233-1200.
(Sun Sentinel - May 23, 2008)