LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — An illegal breeder told police she was preparing to move, which is what led to two dogs being found dead in vehicles she and her boyfriend owned.
This happened on July 14 at a Motel 6 on Dean Martin Drive near Tropicana Avenue. Police said two dogs were found dead and another seven were alive. That day, temperatures reached up to 112 degrees.
In an interview with police, Katrina Brazil said her and her boyfriend had been breeding the dogs to make money. She said two days before the incident, she had been evicted from a home and was staying at the Motel 6 for two nights. The report states Brazil told officers she was planning to move into an apartment later that day. However, her boyfriend had been arrested during the night and she waiting for him to be released from jail before making the move.
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According to the arrest report, Brazil said all nine dogs could fit in her Chevy Malibu sedan but she decided to put five dogs in the sedan and four dogs in her boyfriend's Dodge truck. She said a friend had agreed to allow her to stay at her house and bring the dogs with her.
Brazil told police she left the dogs in the vehicles while she tried to pack two dog cages to take with her and that she claimed she had both engines running with the air conditioner going and had water for the animals. However, police said no water bowls or other containers were found in either vehicle.
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According to an arrest report, several motel guests told police that Katrina Brazil was frantically running around a truck and sedan, which had dogs in them and that she was "acting erratically by placing a lifeless puppy into ice water and then placing living puppies on top of it." Another guest told police Brazil was yelling and asking if anybody knew how to break down or fold down two large dog cages.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said necropsy exams will be performed on the animals to confirm the suspected cause of death, which is heat stroke.
Brazil is facing 11 charges including torturing and abandoning animals. On Thursday, her bail was set at $5,000 and once posted, she will be released. However, she will be put on high-level electronic monitoring and she can't own or be in contact with any animals, as part of her bail conditions.
She's scheduled to be back in court on Aug. 3.
