DOGS KEPT IN ‘ABSOLUTE FILTH’
CLOSURE ORDER SERVED AS SUSPECTED PUPPY FARM FOUND AT KENNELS
A closure order has been served on a suspected puppy farm in mid-Louth after dogs and pups were found in conditions which have been described as ‘ completely inadequate’.
This is the first time such action has been taken in the county and gardai are preparing a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
A total of 36 dogs including two litters of puppies were found during the garda led investigation on Monday October 22.
Louth County Council veterinary inspector Garrett Shine said that the conditions in which the dogs were being kept were ‘completely inadequate’.
‘It was unacceptable and fell far below the standard required,’ he said.
‘ The kennel was also unregistered which was why the closure order was served,’ he said, explaining that all kennels with more than six breeding bitches must be registered.
Fiona Squibb of Louth SPCA, who visited the premises to inspect them from a welfare perspective, described the conditions of the kennels as ‘ horrendous’ with the dogs and puppies in ‘absolute filth’.
The majority of dogs found on the premises were Alsatians, while there was also a French Bulldog, a Labrador and a Cockerpoo.
When the dogs were taken to Louth Pound, they were scanned for microchips and it emerged that a number of them had been sent to the kennels by their owners who were under the impression that it was a dog training and boarding facility.
As the process of reuniting the dogs with their owners continued, 15 dogs remained in the care of Louth Pound last Friday, the majority of them being breeding bitches and two litters of puppies.
Fiona said that most likely the puppies were destined to be sold on-line.
While animal welfare charities are constantly warning people not to buy puppies on-line as it encourages illegal puppy farms, she said: ‘ No matter how many times we say it, people still do it.’
Meanwhile, Dundalk Dog Rescue which takes dogs from the Pound for rehoming, said on its Facebook page that they still had a high number of dogs in their care and were only able to take dogs on a case to case basis. Earlier in the month, they had posted that they were full to capacity and were unable to take any more dogs.
Last Friday they had 26 dogs are in kennels and 16 dogs are in foster and a few in long term foster.
However, they warned: ‘ The situation is still static - foster homes are still full and limited, direct re-homing is slow, dog transports to rescues are slowing up; and with the winter months and incoming Christmas period, there doesn’t appear to be any solution coming any time soon.