PLACITAS, N.M. – A man accused of animal cruelty and illegal dog breeding left behind mountains of trash, decades of rot and chest-high layers of dog feces in his Placitas home. 

It’s taken workers months to clear it out and give the property new life. The before and after shots could make you question whether it’s even the same property.

KOB 4 gives you a look at the shocking transformation as it’s now days away from hitting the market. 

Nidia McConnell has seen a lot in her years as a general contractor, but this Placitas home hit a new level. 

“I came, and I said, ‘It’s going to be more than a mission,’” said McConnell. “From the door to the closet, that little area, it took a dumpster.”

That’s the same front door deputies pulled the former homeowner, Paul Jaramillo, out of February 2024. They charged him with animal cruelty and took dozens of dogs from the property. 

Jaramillo’s case has been at a stand still since a bench trial last September. The sheriff’s office never refiled the charges. 

“We even found dead dogs in the Jacuzzi area,” McConnell said. 

McConnell has been working with the new owner of Native Dwelling, Randy Bowen, on a total makeover. 

“When I first walked here, I didn’t know what the floor looked like because I was literally walking on top of dirt and fecal matter,” said Bowen.

Bowen says every room came with new discoveries. 

“This kitchen was, I mean, you couldn’t even walk. I actually couldn’t even get into the kitchen. There was stuff that had just collapsed and fallen down from the cabinets that had fallen in,” said Bowen.

The master bedroom got ripped down to the studs.

“There was like a tiny little pathway right here that I could sort of navigate. But all this, this was like piled up with junk and stuff, and things were rustling around underneath the mess,” Bowen said. 

The second bedroom is unrecognizable.

“I actually couldn’t get this door open because the door was wedged shut,” said Bowen. “There was a pile of dog feces that was like almost up to your chest.”

He calls it one of the best rooms in the house. 

“Because you’ve got this incredible view right out these front windows here,” Bowen said. 

Bowen says a home this size should take six weeks to renovate. This project is going on 11 months. A few more finishing touches, and it’s heading to market. 

“I think we did a pretty good job,” said McConnell. 

Bowen says the house could go on the market in the next week. He’s planning to list it at $550,000.