More than 50 dogs were found emaciated and hungry and forced to sleep in their faeces at a “filthy and stinking” west Cork puppy farm where one dog’s hair was so matted that it was as hard as cement, an animal welfare inspector has told a court.
Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals welfare inspector Caroline Faherty told Clonakilty District Court that she visited the breeding kennels run by husband and wife William (57) and Eleanor Sheehy (50) at Grange More, Timoleague, on March 21st 2023, and found dogs being kept in appalling conditions.
She found faeces throughout the kennels with mould growing on the faeces, suggesting the pens had not been cleaned for a long time, while many of the 50 dogs and 22 puppies had coats that were badly matted with dried-in faeces.
“The place was filthy and stinking ... there was one dog, a female Newfoundland whose coat was so matted and hard it was like cement — when we eventually managed to clean the dog, we found that she was extremely emaciated — to the point of being virtually skeletal,” she said.
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Ms Faherty was giving evidence after both defendants each pleaded guilty to six offences under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 including charges of causing unnecessary suffering or endangering the health or welfare of an animal at their puppy farm on March 23rd 2023.
The charges related to Ms Faherty’s second visit when she found all the dogs and puppies in poor condition with the animals suffering from conjunctivitis in their eyes and ear infections which led to discharges and itchy ears which caused the dogs to scratch themselves.
In addition to some of the dogs having matted hair, others suffered from alopecia while many of the dogs were also suffering from behavioural problems with some spinning around in their pens, suggesting that they were being kept in their kennels and not given proper exercise and stimulation.
Among the breeds that she found at the unheated kennels were purebred Cavalier and Cocker Spaniels, Poodles and Bichons, crossbreeds such as Cockapoos and Cavachons and Poodle-crosses as well as Bernese Mountain Dogs, Newfoundlands, Collies and Jack Russell terriers.
The kennels were in a former piggery at the bottom of a farmyard and, whenever it rained, there was constant runoff from a dairy operation the Sheehys was running. This meant there was standing water in the kennels making it impossible for the dogs to find anywhere dry and warm to sleep, she said.
Ms Faherty was accompanied on that visit by Cork County Council veterinary inspector Pat O’Mahony and local animal welfare inspectors Don Kelly and John McCarthy. They removed 14 dogs who were in particularly poor health after the Sheehys surrendered them.
These dogs were examined by council veterinary inspectors as many were malnourished as the Sheehys used to feed the dogs by scattering food in the kennels, so it turned into survival of the fittest, said Ms Faherty, adding these 14 dogs were rehabilitated and rehomed.
She visited the puppy farm again on August 18th 2023. While the place was cleaner and had fewer dogs a small exercise yard had been established, and there was heating for pups in the whelping shed, it was still not adequate in terms of dog health and welfare, she said.
Ms Faherty agreed with defence solicitor Conrad Murphy that the Sheehys were co-operative when she visited them. But she believed they were in contravention of the Dog Breeding Establishment Act in that they had more bitches than they were licensed to have on her visits in March.
Judge Monika Leech said she wanted time to consider the evidence presented by the prosecution including photographs of the dogs and a veterinary report presented by the defence. She adjourned the matter until Bandon District Court when she will impose sentence on the Sheehys.
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