A woman convicted of cruelty to animals was prohibited from keeping any animals for 10 years yesterday after Dundalk District Court heard evidence about dogs living "in absolute filth".
The court heard that some of the 17 dogs had open sores and one had maggots. They also heard the carcass of a goat was found in a plastic barrel.
There was no evidence of food or water and the Louth county veterinary officer said that when the dogs were offered a bowl of water, "they practically killed themselves to get to the water from thirst".
Before the court was Donna Sfar, Oaklawns, Dundalk, who denied the charges, which related to animals she had kept at Balriggan, Kilcurry, Dundalk, in March last year.
She conducted her own defence, arguing that her private dwelling had been entered without authority and her privacy had been breached.
Louth dog warden Tommy Conway said that on March 5th last year, he had entered the premises with the ISPCA, gardaí, an independent vet and Department of Agriculture officials.
He told Judge Flann Brennan the dogs were in a very bad condition and some had no light, water or food. One was sharing a pen with three pigs.
Garda Barbara Bracken said the area the kennels were in was littered with rubbish and there was a "vast number" of dogs as well as sheep, goats and pigs.
In one small shed she found a terrier and two other dogs. There was no water or food and their bowls were dusty. In another shed she found an "extremely thin" Dalmatian with cuts on his rear end. The back of that shed had begun to rot because the dog was using it as a toilet.
In another the ground was covered in faeces, urine and rubbish. There was no dry area in it for the three dogs to lie on.
The Louth inspector with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Fiona Squibb, told the court the dogs were "living in absolute filth" and the smell was "appalling". The dogs' coats were matted, some had sores and there was no food or water evident. On that day five dogs were removed on the instructions of the vet.
On March 30th, the premises was revisited and Garda Bracken found a goat stuffed into a plastic barrel. In another barrel were bones and a carcass. The conditions of the dogs had deteriorated and she said there was no effort to provide food or water. They were placed in the care of the ISPCA.
Ms Sfar said some of the dogs were hunting dogs and the food was "designed not to put fat on them". She said she did not want them putting on weight but wanted them "fit to do their job". The 17 dogs are now cared for by the Louth ISPCA and the bill stands at €22,650.
Judge Brennan said the case was proved beyond any doubt and he convicted Ms Sfar on each of the 20 summons. On each he imposed fines of €200 with witness expenses of €100, bringing total fines to €6,000.
He also made an order prohibiting Ms Sfar from keeping animals for the next 10 years.