Inset: Richard Andino (Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center). Background: The home where Andino allegedly performed vet services without a license (WPLG/YouTube)
A 39-year-old man in Florida has been accused of falsely holding himself out as a veterinarian and performing a C-section on a dog inside of his home, ultimately killing an entire litter of puppies. Richard Andino was taken into custody on Monday and charged with one count of practicing veterinary medicine without a license, court records show.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, two witnesses told officers with the Miami-Dade Police Department that on Christmas Eve of 2023, they dropped off their pregnant mix-breed dog at Andino’s home in the 17000 block of SW 121st Avenue in Miami. The dog required a C-section and Andino had previously told the witnesses “he was a licensed veterinarian,” police said
When the witnesses arrived at Andino’s home, they were immediately skeptical because they expected to be going to an animal hospital.
“They questioned the defendant, and he advised them that he would be transporting their dog to the hospital and delivering the puppies there,” the affidavit states. “Due to their dog being in labor, they decided to trust the defendant since he was dressed in nurses scrubs.”
Previous medical testing conducted on the witnesses’ dog confirmed that she was pregnant with a litter of six puppies, police said.
Andino allegedly “assured” the witnesses that he “performed these types of surgeries frequently,” and added that they were only meeting at his home because it was a holiday. One of the witnesses then paid him $1,500 in cash for his services.
The following day, police said Andino contacted the witnesses via text message and informed them that he was only able to deliver three puppies, meaning the other three had not survived.
When the witnesses picked up their dog and the three surviving puppies, they “confronted” Andino and questioned him about the location of his clinic. He allegedly responded by saying he was unable to perform the procedure at the clinic so he did it at his house.
“The defendant told the victims that he had a whole room in his house to conduct these types of procedures,” the affidavit states. “The witnesses asked to see the room where he performed the procedures and he denied them entry. However, the witnesses could see surgical equipment and instruments in the defendant’s living room.”
Unfortunately, the health of the puppies continued to decline and when the witnesses arrived back at their home, they discovered that all of the newborn animals had stopped breathing. One of the witnesses performed CPR on a puppy, which resulted in “yellow and orange discharge” coming out of the animal’s nose and mouth.
“All of the remaining puppies later died,” police wrote.
The witnesses contacted police and a thorough investigation revealed that Andino never had a current or active veterinarian license in the state of Florida.
Following his arrest, Andino refused to speak with detectives. He was transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He was released after posting bond of $2,500.
When a journalist for Miami ABC affiliate WPLG went to Andino’s address seeking comment, the station reported that a man at the property “dropped his pants and showed his backside” to their cameras. That man later declined to comment on the case.
Man at Richard Andino’s home address on July 16, 2024, shows his backside to WPLG reporter and camera crew (WPLG/YouTube).
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