Dog, 2 Pups Die After 'Unjust Cruelty' Seen in TikTok Video

2 Florida men arrested after illegal surgery performed by non-vet on pregnant French bulldog
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 18, 2021 10:30 AM CST
2 Arrested After TikTok Vid of Illegal C-Section on Dog
Larry Colon, left, and Frankie Huertas-Rivera.   (Colon photo from Lake County County Sheriff's Office, Huertas-Rivera photo from Hernando County Sheriff's Office, both via Orlando Sentinel and Lake Legal News)

A French bulldog and two of her puppies are dead, and two Florida men have been arrested after a botched surgery that went viral on TikTok. An affidavit cited by the Orlando Sentinel alleges that Larry Colon, 50, forked over $650 to 33-year-old Frankie Huertas-Rivera to perform a C-section on Colon's dog Lyla, with Colon claiming that Huertas-Rivera told him he was a veterinarian (he isn't, per state records). The affidavit notes that, as shown in a video that Colon's 15-year-old daughter posted on a since-deleted TikTok account, an awake or semi-sedated Lyla was held down on a table by Colon at his Lake County home, obviously in distress and immense pain while Huertas-Rivera cut into her abdomen and delivered eight puppies. "Process of having babiessss," the caption accompanying the TikTok video read, per Yahoo Entertainment, which has screenshots.

The illegal surgery came to the authorities' attention after Colon brought an already dead Lyla to a local veterinary hospital and a worker alerted police, per the affidavit, which adds that Colon admitted knowing Huertas-Rivera wasn't licensed. NBC News notes that two unborn puppies still inside Lyla also died. Lyla and her puppies "suffered unjust cruelty and suffering due to unethical medical services performed," the vet told authorities, per People. Lyla's cause of death was listed as septic shock from a nonsterile surgery. The clinic says it also told Colon he should take the surviving puppies to a vet to be examined, but when an animal cruelty investigator showed up at his home the next day, he hadn't done that. Both men were arrested Friday on animal cruelty charges—Colon in Lake County, Huertas-Rivera in Hernando County—with Huertas-Rivera facing an extra charge of practicing medicine without a license. Both men have since posted bond. An arraignment is set for March. (More animal cruelty stories.)

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