‘Long and painful deaths’ Dog training facility owner arrested after three dogs die

PALM CITY, Fla. (CBS12) — The owner of a now-shuttered dog training facility was arrested after an investigation into the deaths ofmultiple dogs entrusted into her care, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) announced Wednesday while revealing some of the findings of its inquiry.

Nikki Camerlengo was booked on a single count of animal cruelty after two forensic facilities determined the pets were killed by blunt force trauma, according to the sheriff’s office. Its statement added, “forensic experts revealed that the dogs did not die quickly, instead succumbing to long and painful deaths.”

MCSO launched its investigation following the mysterious deaths of three dogs, Beau, a two-year-old cavapoo; Fleurie, a 15-year-old goldendoodle; and Mako, a two-year-old flat coat retriever. All three dogs died after they were taken to Pawsitively Paradise, in Palm City.

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“For someone to do that, they have to be pretty sick,” said Turner Benoit told CBS12 News on Wednesday after Camerlengo’s arrest. “It’s horrible, it’s just so sad.”

Back in March, Benoit paid $1,500 for Camerlengo to train his mother’s dog Fleuri for a week, while his mom was recovering from knee surgery.

Fleuri had no prior health issues, just a little hyperactive. Then two days later, Benoit gets a phone call.

“She said, ‘something horrible has happened to Fleuri. She’s not breathing. I took her to a vet, but they wouldn’t see her’. I said, ‘Well, the dog’s not breathing. How long has that been going on?’ She’s like, ‘a little while.’ ‘So, the dog’s dead?’ And she goes, ‘I think so,” Benoit recalled.

While those official reports spurred the sheriff’s office to find out what happened, MCSO previously indicated investigators believe that there may be even more deaths that happened while dogs were in Camerlengo’s care.

“She [Camerlengo] would cry in front of them. I just believe she would make them feel sorry for her,” Det. Christine Polizzi said.

“Since media reports surfaced about MCSO’s investigation into Camerlengo, multiple other reports of healthy dogs, mostly dogs under four years old, mysteriously dying or becoming severely injured while in Nikki Camerlengo’s care have emerged. Some dating back several years,” MCSO’s latest statement noted.

Due to a lack of medical records, because the dogs were cremated or the deaths initially went unreported, the sheriff’s office could not include them in our criminal investigation, MCSO said.

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Camerlengo was arrested in Fort Piece, where she had taken her dog training business after MCSO’s criminal investigation began. She has been booked into the St. Lucie County jail.

The current animal cruelty count stems from Beau’s death, however MCSO expects more to be filed.

“You need to go to the facility. You need to check it out. You need to see how that person treats your animal,” Det. Polizzi warned. “These people trusted her, most of these people never went to the facility.”