Puppy farm owner jailed over care of dogs

A FARMER and puppy mill owner has been jailed and banned from keeping animals they were found in squalor, with ‘sores on their bodies’ and without water.

Benny Deegan, of Clonminch, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, admitted 30 cruelty charges after failing to take proper care of dogs, horses, fowl, pigs and goats.

The case resulted from joint investigations by the ISPCA and the Department of Agriculture on various dates in August 2018 and January and February 2019. An initial visit made by the ISPCA on August 2, 2018 uncovered a puppy mill with dozens of dogs suffering a multitude of ailments including ulcers, lesions parasite infestation and self-trauma.

ISPCA senior inspector Lisa O’Donovan said: ‘All of the dogs were living in squalor. The entire premises was filthy with little to no attention to animal husbandry.’

ISPCA inspector Emma Carroll described how ‘fleas were visible to the naked eye ’.

Yesterday at Tullamore District Court, Judge Catherine Staines convicted Mr Deegan on one count and sentenced him to five months imprisonment. In addition, she fined him €5,000 fine and imposed a lifetime ban from keeping animals.