BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Two Florida men are accused of animal cruelty after authorities said they left a vest on their dog for more than seven months, allowing it to grow into the animal’s skin.
According to Brevard County online court records, Michael Borowski, 73, and Nestor Tomas Guanzon, 72, both of Palm Bay, were arrested on July 9. Each was charged with cruelty to animals/pain or suffering, a third-degree felony, court records show.
In a video posted by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Wayne Ivey said the suspects adopted a small dog named Teddy from the sheriff’s office’s Animal Care Center in September 2025.
According to Ivey, the men put the vest on the animal in October and never removed it.
On May 12, Borowski contacted the shelter and said he wanted to surrender the dog, claiming that the animal had become aggressive, WPEC reported.
Ivey said the staff at the shelter attempted to find resources to find a new home for Teddy, but that Borowski allegedly said, “How about I just knock him in the head with a shovel?”
“Well, that gets you a visit from the Palm Bay Police Department,” Ivey said.
Ivey said that when officers arrived, the dog was in so much pain that he could not be examined at the site.
Borowski was told to take the dog to a veterinarian, and staff members discovered that the vest had grown into Teddy’s skin, Ivey said.
“The vet team had to literally cut into Teddy to cut out the fabric of the vest they had put on him,” the sheriff said. “Absolutely disgusting. He had a necrotic smell to him.”
After an investigation was completed, Borowski and Guanzon were arrested and given a $10,000 bond, court records show. Ivey called that amount low.
“They got a weak-(expletive) bond. Judge, I apologize but I’d let them rot in jail just like they let that vest rot on that poor dog,” Ivey said. “I don’t understand it, how someone can be that cruel, that insensitive, to harm an innocent creature like that.
“But here they are, and unfortunately they walk among us. Well, when they walk in Brevard County, their butts get locked up in the Brevard County Jail.”
Officials said that Teddy has been treated, is safe and is recovering, WTVT reported.
Both Borowski and Guanzon are scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 6, online records show.
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