AN IRISH animal charity has warned that subjecting dogs to ear cropping "will not be tolerated" after a man in Roscommon was convicted of animal cruelty.
The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) yesterday issued a stark warning condemning those who subject their dogs to ear cropping, tail docking "or other cruel and unnecessary mutilations".
The warning comes after a man in Roscommon pleaded guilty to animal cruelty at Ballaghadereen District Court on Tuesday, 15 September.
The man was arrested and brought to justice after an investigation by the ISPCA, who had been tipped off about a puppy with cropped ears at the accused's address.
(Images: ISPCA)After executing a search warrant and searching the man's property, ISPCA Inspector Karen Lyons found a blue and white female American Bully puppy whose ears had been illegally cropped.
Inspector Lyons appeared in court as a witness, where she said she believed the accused was breeding dogs for commercial gain, and described how the cruel practise of docking a dogs ears is done for nothing more than cosmetic reasons.
According to the ISPCA, the Roscommon man initially claimed the puppy had been cropped legally, having been sent abroad to have the procedure done, but then changed his story and claimed he had sold the puppy to a man named Martin, who later returned her with her ears cropped.
He told the judge that he had been "stupid", "naive" and "truly sorry", but cvould offer no proof that the puppy had been sold and returned with her ears cropped.
He accepted responsibility and pleaded guilty to animal cruelty, with Judge Faughnan ordering him to pay €9,000 -- which include veterinary and board fees for the dog-- at a rate of €50 a week, stating "a message has to go out".
The man paid €850 and pledged to pay 100 a week to the ISPCA.
He was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for two years, and was banned from owning dogs for three years.
The puppy, named Cardi B, was rescued from the property and is now looking for a new, loving permanent home.
“We are absolutely delighted that Cardi B can now be permanently rehomed” said Inspector Lyons, “She had a difficult start in life but she can now look forward to living out her life in a loving home. Ear cropping is a cruel and unnecessary mutilation that has no place in modern society”.
ISPCA Chief Inspector Conor Dowling said that while the ISPCA "will take satisfaction from the fact that offences were proven and somebody was held accountable in this case", Cardi B is far from the only puppy suffering in this way.
"Other puppies are being mutilated in a similar fashion and we will endeavour to ensure that others are similarly held to task.
"As can be seen from this case, the repercussions for anyone performing or organising such illegal procedures can be severe. We are also grateful for the awarding of our kennelling costs. Cardi B was detained for over 18 months while the case progressed. At one point she was one of over 75 dogs which were being detained by the ISPCA as the subjects of cruelty prosecutions”.
To read more about Cardi B and the ISPCA's other dogs who are looking for loving homes, you can check out the ISPCA website here.
To donate to Cardi's care, you can do so here.
