Authorities said two men performed an illegal caesarean section surgery on a pregnant dog and then posted a video of it on social media, according to sources.
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On February 10, investigators said they were tipped off about a TikTok video showing a French Bulldog-type breed of dog named Lyla. Lyla was half-awake as an owner and another man performed a C-section on her in a living room, according to an arrest affidavit.
Detectives went to a home along Sunrise Vista Drive in Clermont to perform a well-being check on the dog, authorities said. They reportedly met the owner, 50-year-old Larry Colon, who told them the other man in the video was a veterinarian. Colon identified the "vet" as 33-year-old Frankie Huertas Rivera, according to officials. He also told authorities he paid him $650 in cash for the operation.
Officials claim the TikTok video was filmed by Colon's 15-year-old daughter and other minors were present. They added that the Huertas Rivera gave the dog unknown drugs and performed the surgery without a veterinary license.
"Animal cruelty investigators said Colon is the man seen in the video holding Lyla down as Huertas Rivera attempts to conduct the surgery on the dog as she is thrashing her head and shaking her body. The video then later shows Huertas Rivera remove puppies from Lyla’s body," reporters wrote.
Colon allegedly took the dog to a vet office in Davenport. The vet at the office said the dog arrived dead with two deceased, unborn puppies inside it, according to the affidavit.
Colon and Huertas Rivera were booked into jail last week on animal cruelty charges and have since bonded out.
Photo: Hernando County Detention Center, Lake County Sheriff's Office