A woman has been banned from keeping dogs for three years after breeding them in what a Judge described as “appalling conditions.”
ISPCA officers raided the home of Elizabeth Duncan and found a total of 26 dogs in cramped conditions.
Ms Duncan, who is in her 50s, appeared at Letterkenny District Court charged with neglecting the health and welfare of the animals.
ISPCA Inspector Kevin McGinley told the court that he visited Ms Duncan’s home at Drumbarnett, Manorcunningham on April 24th last.
Mr McGinley handed photographs of the conditions in which the Golden Labrador dogs were being kept.
On the day Inspector McGinley called, he found two adult male dogs, twelve female adults dogs and twelve pups.
The horrific conditions in which up to 26 dogs were kept by Ms Duncan.
He said there was not adequate space in which to breed dogs but rather there was simply enough space to breed one or two dogs domestically.
Some of the pups were being kept in a shed which was five feet by three feet and had no water or natural light.
There were old dry bones scattered around and the sheds in which the pups were kept were covered in faeces.
The court had heard the dogs were being sold for up to €300 on the DoneDeal website but some had encountered health issues because they had not been properly vaccinated.
Judge Paul Kelly said it was obvious that Ms Duncan was not capable of keeping dogs.
“These are appalling conditions to keep dogs in. She is clearly not a suitable person for keeping animals if she keeps them in these conditions,” he said.
He banned Ms Duncan from keeping dogs for three years and also fined her a total of €450 and ordered her to pay €2,002 costs to the ISPCA.
Speaking after the case, ISPCA Inspector McGinley told Donegal Daily that he hoped the message would go out to the public to properly research where they were buying their pets from.
The make-shift pen in which the dogs were kept in Manorcunningham.