Elderly man guilty of animal cruelty and neglect allowed to continue keeping animals

An elderly man convicted of animal cruelty and neglect has been granted permission to continue keeping animals. 

According to the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the 78 year old man from Co Cork admitted to 10 offences under sections 11 and 12 of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, which enshrines a duty to protect animal welfare and prohibits animal cruelty. 

This week (February 21), ISPCA Senior Inspector, Emma Carroll, recounted her experience visiting the man's yard on July 1, 2022 to Macroom District Court.  

According to the ISPCA, Inspector Carroll found several animals in a concerning state, including a male collie dog attached to a stone wall by a heavy chain and saturated puppies.

The inspector discovered a "lifeless" and almost hairless male collie dog attached to a stone wall by a heavy chain and surrounded by its own faeces. 

The dog reportedly had no access to food or water. 

A thin and extremely nervous female collie was also found in a pile of rubbish and was confined by a tangled chain, unable to move. 

Her coat was reportedly saturated as it was raining heavily, and she was shivering. 

The inspectors discovered another female collie along with her five young nursing puppies in an open shed; the mother was tethered to a wall with a very short chain, and the bedding in the shed was wet and soiled straw.

All the puppies had wet coats due to being exposed to the rain.

Additionally, seven ducks were found confined in a cattle trailer; they had no access to daylight, food or water and were living in their own filth. 

According to the ISPCA, the Cork man is a small-time farmer who trialled sheep dogs and was normally assisted by his daughter, but she had had a baby and "standards had slipped". 

The judge convicted the man but felt that, given his age, he was not a good candidate for prison.

However, he reportedly fined the defendant €1,000 and imposed an order disqualifying him for life from keeping any animals with the exception of 20 or fewer sheep, one working sheepdog and one donkey. 

The judge also ordered forfeiture of the seized dogs to the ISPCA.