Cosmo the mini poodle puppy still has his affectionate demeanor, his owner Grace Salcedo said.
Holding Cosmo in her arms while speaking at a news conference Thursday morning, Salcedo recalled the shock she felt earlier this year upon learning that Cosmo’s jaw had been fractured after the owner of a doggy daycare business in Delray Beach punched him. The attack left Cosmo bleeding from the mouth, shaking and unable to stand. He needed extensive surgery, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said.
The owner of Wanderlust Dogs, Jason Hershman, 45, is among the first to be arrested after investigations by the agency’s new Animal Crimes Unit, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw announced at the news conference. Detectives want to try to shut down the business.
The specialty unit since its creation in October has reviewed 85 cases of suspected animal cruelty and neglect, 26 of them in which investigators pursued criminal charges, according to statistics provided by the Sheriff’s Office. A total of six arrests related to animal crimes have been made, including Hershman, and 60 animals have been taken from unsafe conditions and into proper care, the Sheriff’s Office said.
One of the six arrests came in November, after 10 horses were found in “deplorable” conditions on the rural Palm Beach County property of James Marinakis, 74, who has a years-long history of animal abuse allegations.
Palm Beach County man accused of animal cruelty after 10 horses found in ‘deplorable’ state
While PBSO deputies have always investigated animal-related crimes and work with animal control officials, Bradshaw said the new unit will solely focus on those cases. And for anyone who might want to report possible animal abuse but is afraid of retaliation or doesn’t know how, “we’ve solved that problem,” he said.
When Salcedo picked up Cosmo from Hershman’s business in May, he told her that her dog’s injuries were from a door accidentally closing on his snout, according to a probable cause affidavit. She knew Cosmo had a broken tooth, but the doggy daycare staff were “unsure” what caused it.
Cosmo underwent surgery to extract the tooth about a week later, where his fractured jaw was discovered, the affidavit said. He underwent a second surgery a few days later.
Cosmo, a mini poodle puppy, suffered a broken tooth and fractured jaw after being punched by the owner of a doggy daycare business in Delray Beach while in his care in May, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said. (Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy)
Deputies began investigating Hershman in July after an employee filed an animal cruelty complaint against Wanderlust Dogs. The employee reported witnessing Hershman hitting multiple dogs in his care and that Hershman was not truthful to Salcedo about how Cosmo was actually injured, the affidavit said.
Another employee anonymously reported that internal communications about the incident with Cosmo “were later deleted from the facility’s system.” Yet another former employee told investigators Hershman would tell his staff to “kick dogs when they are fighting,” the affidavit said.
Jason Hershman was booked into the Palm Beach County jail on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy)
Wanderlust Dog’s former manager told investigators he found Cosmo the day of the injury with seizure-like symptoms after hearing a scream from the room where Hershman had been alone with the dog. Hershman admitted to the manager having punched Cosmo, claiming the dog tried to bite him, the affidavit said. The manager resigned a month later because of the incident.
Two veterinarians who treated Cosmo said the puppy’s injuries could not have been caused by an accident but were instead attributed to significant blunt force trauma, according to the affidavit.
Hershman was arrested Wednesday and faces one count of aggravated animal cruelty, court records show.
