An Orange County dog owner has been charged with animal cruelty after deputies said they found a severely malnourished pit bull at his home Thursday near Winter Park.

Orange County Animal Services said the dog looked like skin and bones, with almost no muscle or fat, when it was taken from the home in horrible living condition on Crandon Avenue, near the I-4 interchange at Fairbanks Avenue.



Deputies said the dog's owner, Aaron Dennis, said he got the pit bull in January, and she was skinny, beaten and bruised at that time. Dennis told investigators he fed the dog back to health, but over the last few months, she had been vomiting and losing weight on and off.

Investigators said the female dog, named Zola, was found after a neighbor called authorities saying the dog was abandoned, and the neighbor feared Zola was dying.

When deputies arrived, the dog's owner, Aaron Dennis, had returned home. Investigators said Dennis' house was filthy, with feces and trash all over the floor, and no edible food or water. Zola was found barely moving and covered in fleas, according to Orange County Animal Services.



Dennis, 22, said he was working in Tampa for a few days and didn't realize the dog was sick.

Based on the condition of the dog and the home, deputies arrested Dennis and charged him with aggravated animal cruelty.



Zola was taken to Orange County Animal Services for treatment.

VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED: Photos of malnourished dog, may be too graphic for some viewers.

