Jacquelyn Traum and Daniel Brantley are facing nearly 80 counts of animal cruelty after investigators found they kept the house in "deplorable" shape.
The animals that were killed in the fire included 45 cats, four dogs, two raccoons and one Macaw parrot, according to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.
Rescue officials were able to save 14 dogs and one cat from the Merritt Island home.
Seven of the dogs are recovering at the SPCA of Brevard, and homes have already been found for them. The SPCA received more than 120 applications on their behalf.
"Those dogs definitely deserve awesome homes after what happened," Susan Naylor of the SPCA of Brevard told the Daily News on Tuesday.
When Brevard County deputies and fire rescue personnel arrived on the scene of the fire on Jan. 11, they found the residents "attempting to frantically remove dogs from the residence."
The house quickly filled with fire, according to the sheriff's office.
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| Officers are seen with suspect Daniel Brantley |
The 67-year-old Traum and 55-year-old Brantley were hit with four felony counts of animal cruelty, and 74 misdemeanor counts. They are being held on $45,000 bond.
"The inhumane conditions these animals were being kept and the amount of suffering they endured is unimaginable," Sheriff Wayne Ivey said. "The scene was very difficult for our fire rescue partners and our deputies who tried to save as many animals as possible that were trapped inside the home."
