Florida cracked down on backyard dog breeders this year.
One Naples woman thought she could keep selling sick puppies anyway.
But a judge just handed her the surprise of a lifetime when deputies uncovered her dirty secret.
Breeding Scam Kept Running After License Pulled
Deputies raided 63-year-old Olga Kapishon's Naples home and rescued 50 dogs living in filth after she ignored officials and kept selling puppies.
Collier County Code Enforcement revoked Kapishon's breeder permit back in September after inspectors found disgusting violations at her property.
But Kapishon didn't care.
She kept breeding and selling mini golden doodles and maltipoos from her website on puppies.com like nothing happened.
Undercover detectives posed as potential buyers and contacted her.
Kapishon brought out puppies for sale covered in their own waste.
One puppy had a pot belly indicating worms.
Then she made a move that sealed her fate.
Kapishon offered to vaccinate the puppies herself right in front of detectives even though she has zero veterinary credentials and couldn't provide any vaccination records.
The detective team had seen enough.
Deputies Find House of Horrors During Raid
Wednesday's raid uncovered the full scope of Kapishon's illegal operation.
Deputies found 32 adult dogs and 18 puppies crammed inside the home living in absolutely filthy conditions.
Suspected vaccines were scattered around the property.
Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said "This was a large-scale operation that required coordination and commitment from multiple agencies to ensure the animals' safety."
The investigation proved Kapishon had been breeding and selling puppies non-stop since her permit got suspended.
She was also administering vaccines and medications without any proper licensing.
That's practicing veterinary medicine without a license which carries felony charges in Florida.
Kapishon now faces one felony count of practicing veterinary medicine without a license and 19 counts of failing to provide certified health certificates for the dogs she listed for sale.
Trump's Border Crackdown Caught Backyard Breeder
Here's the twist nobody saw coming.
Kapishon is currently being held by ICE.
She's from Ukraine but has Canadian citizenship and now she's sitting in federal custody on an immigration hold.
Trump's aggressive enforcement operations in Florida just caught a criminal nobody expected.
The county says the dogs technically still belong to Kapishon until the investigation wraps up.
That means they can't be adopted out yet.
Dr. Deirdre Carver-Raffa from Town and Country Animal Hospital warned future adopters these dogs will need serious help.
"Some of them can be very fearful and just crazy fearful. So you need to have a board-certified veterinary," Carver-Raffa said.
She said anyone adopting these dogs needs extensive experience with training and handling because they'll likely have chronic health issues for life.
Inbred dogs from operations like this often have medical problems that never go away.
Florida lawmakers have been pushing hard for tougher dog breeding regulations.
Governor Ron DeSantis called on the Legislature in November to crack down on puppy mills and impose statewide breeder licenses.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1993382053120032918?s=20
This case proves exactly why those laws are needed.
Kapishon's arrest came during Operation Tidal Wave where Florida partnered with ICE to arrest over 10,400 illegal aliens in eight months.
State officials didn't expect to catch an illegal dog breeding operation in the process.
But that's what happens when you actually enforce the law.
Trump's mandate to secure borders and remove criminal aliens just rescued 50 dogs from a house of horrors run by someone who shouldn't have been here in the first place.
Kapishon faces additional charges pending the results of the medical examinations on all 50 dogs.
Sources:
- Katlyn Fernandez, "50 dogs removed from Florida woman's home in illegal breeding operation, deputies say," WFLA, January 15, 2026.
- WFTX Digital Team, "Naples woman facing charges for illegal dog breeding operation, 50 dogs rescued," Fox 4 Now, January 15, 2026.
- Tyler Watkins and Madison Monroe Adams, "50 dogs rescued from 'filthy conditions' in illegal Golden Gate Estates breeding operation," Gulf Coast News, January 16, 2026.
- Zoe Warner, "Golden Gates woman charged for unlicensed vet services, 50 dogs seized," Wink News, January 16, 2026.
- Nehilah Grand-Pierre, "50 dogs rescued from illegal Golden Gate Estates breeding operation in legal limbo," Gulf Coast News, January 16, 2026.
- Governor Ron DeSantis, "Governor Ron DeSantis Highlights Success of Florida-Federal Immigration Partnership as Operation Tidal Wave Reaches More Than 10,000 Arrests," Florida Governor's Office, January 2026.
