Pet reunions planned after massive Martin County animal rescue, new body cam released

Some families who have been searching for missing pets could get answers Wednesday morning. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office has identified the owners of several animals rescued from what Sheriff John Budensiek calls the worst animal hoarding case he has seen.

Caption: Pet Reunions Planned After Massive Martin County Animal Rescue. CBS12's Paige Meyer reports.

The Humane Society of the Treasure Coast is expected to reunite some of the rescued animals with their owners during appointments beginning at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

"We were shaking with exhaustion. Some of us were physically ill Monday night. Um, but we got up this morning, and we're back here to do it all over again, and I don't think that you could pry these animals out of our arms and not be sure for them. They need us, and we will be here every single time," said Lori Tucker, Director of Operations at Humane Society of the Treasure Coast.

So far, deputies have connected five of the nearly 100 cats and dogs removed from the Stuart home with their owners. Investigators say additional animals have microchips and are continuing efforts to identify more families.

"We've been getting calls from owners who have been looking for their cats. A lot of these cats have microchips, so we've been scanning them and getting all the information for each cat, especially because we know that a lot of people are missing their cats,” said Sarah Fisher, Spokesperson for the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast.

Anyone who believes their missing microchipped dog or cat may be among the rescued animals must first file a lost pet report with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office before scheduling an appointment at the Humane Society. Officials say anyone who arrives without first filing a report will be turned away.

“The dogs are very friendly, but they all have matting and just hair loss as well. And a lot of them are very skinny,” said Fisher.

The reunions come just days after deputies arrested 77-year-old Gail Giustino on two misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

Investigators say Giustino kept about 80 cats and 12 dogs inside her home on Southwest Meadowlark Circle. Sheriff Budensiek said he believes Giustino had been picking up feral cats while working her U.S. Postal Service mail route, believing she was rescuing them.

Newly released body camera footage shows the rescue unfolding as deputies carried pet carriers out of the home one after another. Deputies, animal control officers and firefighters spent hours removing the animals from the house.

“It's really sad. It's really, really sad. But at the same time, we are very fortunate that we are in this role, when we love what we do, and so we feel like we're going to put that aside, and we're going to focus on giving these animals a fresh start, you know, a new chance at a happy life,” said Tucker.

Caption: Body Cam video reveals Massive Martin County Animal Rescue. CBS12's Paige Meyer reports.

According to the sheriff’s office, the home had no air conditioning and was covered in animal waste. Authorities said the conditions were so severe that a HAZMAT team was called in to help ventilate the home before crews could continue working inside.

Caption: This is the newly released body camera footage from the Martin County Sheriff's Office while responding to the Animal rescue and hoarding case.

The animals are now receiving care at the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast. Shelter staff say many were underweight or suffering from skin conditions, dental disease and other health problems.

“Before the animals are ready to adopt, we would give them all of their vaccines. Spay and neuter, the ones that need to be spayed or neutered. But we would just assess them, make sure that they're completely healthy,” said Fisher.

The U.S. Postal Service confirmed to CBS12 that Giustino has been employed by the agency since 1997. In a statement, USPS spokesperson Debra Jean Fetterly said, “We’re aware of the issue. Our carrier joined the Postal Service in 1997. We don’t publicly discuss personnel matters.”

See also: Florida mother reunited with child after accidental car lockout: BODYCAM

The Postal Service also said Giustino will be offered its Employee Assistance Program, a voluntary and confidential support service for employees.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office investigation remains ongoing, and the remaining animals are not yet available for adoption.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.