The Court heard evidence from ISPCA Inspector Caroline Faherty who described viewing the dog at a derelict property in Ryefield East, Co. Cork on 29th September 2023. The dog had significant hair loss all down his back, his rump, legs and tail due to an untreated lice infestation. Its skin was pigmented black, which she said suggested that the hair loss was going on for a long time. The Inspector said that he had difficulty telling what breed the dog was due to the hair loss and the remaining hair being a strange colour.
Ms Faherty told how the pen in which the dog was housed was filthy with faeces, dirt and old straw. There were two kennels in the pen containing wet dirty straw which took up a lot of space in the pen leaving very little room to move around. There were approximately seven vessels in the pen all containing dirty, green, murky looking water.
She said that the pen was difficult to access due to nettles and briars, and it was obvious that the dog hadn’t been out of the pen in a very long time, as weeds had grown over the fencing making it impossible to move. Inspector Faherty made the decision to seize the dog and had to use bolt cutters to gain access to the pen.
A veterinary examination found that, in addition to the skin condition, Dusty was also under weight and had muscle loss, as a result of being confined in the pen.
The defendant subsequently made contact with the ISPCA claiming to own the dog. When Inspector Faherty spoke to her under caution, she said that the dog was originally owned by her brother but that nobody had lived at the property in Ryefield East for several years, and she travelled from her home approximately 23km away to feed the dog. She admitted that veterinary attention had not been sought for Dusty saying, “I won’t lie that was the way I was brought up with dogs”.
Judge O’Leary described it as “a shocking case” and said he was thankful that the dog had made a full recovery “thanks to the ISPCA”. He disqualified the woman from keeping dogs for life, ordered that she pay €2,439.68 in ISPCA costs and €2,000 in legal costs, and imposed a fine of €250.
Inspector Faherty commented: “Dusty was a senior dog at the time of his rescue and had spent most of his 13-year-life confined in that dirty pen. I am delighted that, through the intervention of the ISPCA, he has been able to live the life he should have always lived in his old age”.
Dusty is just one of many rescued dogs rescued by the ISPCA. A kind donation can provide life-saving care to help even more vulnerable dogs, just like Dusty. Please support the ISPCA by making a kind donation today https://ispca.ie/donations/.
