A man in Cork may face jail after pleading guilty to animal cruelty charges involving dogs kept in terrible conditions at his puppy farm
In court, it was revealed that inspectors found dogs living in awful conditions. They discovered one adult dog and 12 puppies in filthy sheds. The conditions were described as horrendous.
An ISPCA inspector, Caroline Faherty, responded to a complaint from a concerned citizen. She found Collies and German Shepherds in dark, dirty sheds without any water. One German Shepherd was even feeding her four puppies.
Some puppies were so malnourished they struggled to walk. They had no muscle in their legs and were walking on their knees. It was heartbreaking to hear that some dogs were feral and extremely nervous.
The inspector mentioned that the animals had no bedding and their fur was matted with feces. To make matters worse, rats were also living in the sheds.
Caroline had to break padlocks just to get inside. She described the smell as stomach-turning and said it made her retch. She even had to change into rubber boots to enter the sheds.
All the dogs were seized immediately. Sadly, four had to be euthanized due to their severe conditions.
Judge Colm Roberts noted that both the animals and the inspector were traumatized by what they saw. He convicted Fedoryn and postponed sentencing until April 1, warning that he might face jail time. The defendant agreed not to keep any animals until then.
