Sheriff: Dogs ate wood, plastic bottles as owner starved them to death

Man accused of abusing dogs

The Brevard County Sheriff's Office is investigating a disturbing case of animal abuse. Two dogs were found dead in a house of filth and the owner has been locked up, accused of neglecting the animals.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - A Brevard County man has been arrested after deputies say he starved two dogs to death in what Sheriff Wayne Ivey calls "one of the worst absolute cases of animal cruelty I've ever seen in my 40 years as a cop."

According to the Sheriff, David Fritsch, 33, locked two dogs in his care in the master bedroom of a home and didn't feed them for several weeks.

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During a Facebook Live video, Sheriff Ivey says the dogs fought to stay alive by eating chips of wood from furniture, plastic bottles, plastic bags, and band-aids.

The Sheriff's Office shared photos from the scene.

"These poor animals were literally eating furniture and their own feces trying desperately to stay alive."

The case started in January when the animal services team received a call about two dogs being abandoned in the bedroom of a home. Sadly, the dogs were found dead.

Sheriff: Dogs ate wood, plastic bottles as owner starved them to death

A Brevard County man has been arrested after deputies say he starved two dogs to death in what Sheriff Wayne Ivey calls "one of the worst absolute cases of animal cruelty I've ever seen in my 40 years as a cop." 

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"I don't know how many times I have to say it: if you harm an animal in Brevard County, I'm personally going to walk you into our jail and slam the door in your face."