Councillor on policing panel f louts dog rules
Unregistered seller found advertising pups online against 2019 law
A COUNTY councillor and member of a joint policing committee is selling litters of pups online in breach of animal welfare laws.
Shane Lee, who is aligned to Michael Lowry’s political group in Co. Tipperary, has placed three different advertisements on Facebook in recent weeks.
The ads display no microchip numbers, age of the pups or a Department of Agriculture-registered seller’s number as they are meant to by law.
Legislation that came into force in February last year makes it an offence to advertise dogs without this legal information included in the ads.
Cllr Lee is advertising in a Facebook group which links the ads back to his own open Facebook page. The mobile number listed on the ads is his official county council number.
One ad is for five Lakeland-cross terrier puppies at €1,000, another for a Jack Russell bitch ‘possibly in pup’ for €450 and the third is a bichon/shih-tzu-cross puppy for €800 with a ‘no time wasters, please’ message.
When contacted by the Irish Mail on Sunday this weekend, Mr Lee initially said: ‘You’re allowed to sell
‘I’m going to check with my solicitor’
a certain number of dogs.’
When we pointed out the legal number is just five without registering with the Department of Agriculture, he seemed to be unaware of this and said, ‘I’m going to check with my solicitor.’
When we called a second time he said: ‘That’s not me.’
We pointed out it was his photograph and his councillor phone number that appeared on the ads which he had just picked up.
We asked if he was aware that it was an offence to sell pups without a registered seller’s number and valid microchip for each dog on the ad. He said: ‘My number is on it.’ When we pointed out that was his mobile number – not a microchip number – Mr Lee requested we send the adverts to his official council email address.
Under the Sale and Supply of Pet Animals Regulations 2019, anyone selling or supplying more than five dogs a year must be registered with the Department of Agriculture, and the premises used to sell the animals must also be registered. The number of dogs recently advertised by Mr Lee is in excess of that number.
The Department has just published the register and Mr Lee is not on it.
Penalties for offences under the Sale and Supply of Pet Animals Regulations include up to five years imprisonment and/or a €250,000 fine.
The 2019 regulations were the result of years of campaigning by leading animal welfare groups including Dogs Trust, the ISPCA and the DSPCA.
In addition to the requirement to register with the department, sellers and suppliers are legally required to maintain records for each animal, including the name and address of the person from whom the animal was obtained and those of the buyer, along with the dates and veterinary records.
The MoS emailed him a list of queries asking if he was aware of the 2019 regulations, or if he thought of checking with Tipperary Council about the legal requirements for breeding and selling dogs. We also asked if he had sold other dogs and if so, how many, and whether he considered his position on the joint policing committee might now be compromised.
So far, he has not responded. Mr Lee, a chimney sweep from Roscrea with his own company, was elected in the last local elections under the Lowry banner.
He describes himself as ‘incredibly generous with his time, helping people on a daily basis.’ He is also a hare coursing and foxhunting enthusiast. One of his greyhounds, Corey’s Joy, was among the greyhounds used at a Rathkeale hare coursing meeting. It was sold in Ireland by Mr Lee but turned up in Spain last year after being rescued by a UK greyhound group.