Judge praises animal welfare inspector for saving dogs' lives as puppy breeder avoids jail over neglect

Irish Times

3 days ago

A judge has praised an animal welfare inspector for saving the lives of nine dogs by removing them from a puppy farm operator.
Mallow Appeals Court heard ISPCA animal welfare inspector Caroline Faherty feared 13 dogs belonging to dog breeder Vasyl Fedoryn (41) would die if they were not removed from his property at Ballypierce, Charleville, Co Cork.
Judge Helen Boyle said Ms Faherty must be 'commended for saving the lives of these dogs'. The judge said some had to be euthanised later, but a veterinary inspector believed they would all have died a 'slow, painful death from neglect' if Ms Faherty had not removed them.
'Dogs obviously need to be fed and watered, but they also need to be exercised and stimulated, and they need love and care and attention, and they got none of these under your care,' Judge Boyle told Fedoryn, a Ukrainian man with Irish citizenship.
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The judge was commenting in Fedoryn's appeal against a three-month custodial sentence imposed on him earlier this year at Mallow District Court over the neglect of his dogs.
Fedoryn had pleaded guilty to nine breaches of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 on April 21st, 2023, concerning 13 dogs he was breeding at his home at Ballypierce in Charleville.
The judge said she hoped Fedoryn appreciated what being in custody is like. She then allowed his appeal against the jail term and ordered him to do 240 hours of community service.
Earlier, Ms Faherty told the court how the dogs she found in two sheds on Fedoryn's property were the worst she had ever encountered, with the animals kept in the dark with no bedding and forced to lie in their faeces.
Ms Faherty said she found a German Shepherd and four puppies in one shed without water. She found three German Shepherd puppies and five Collie puppies in another shed without light or bedding. She said their coats were matted from lying in their excrement.
Ms Faherty said the Collie puppies had gone feral from the lack of socialisation, while three German Shepherd pups were walking on their back knees as they were malnourished and had no muscle mass in their legs.
Three of the Collies had to be euthanised soon after they were removed because due to being feral while some time later one of the German Shepherds was also put down.
Ms Faherty said Ferdoryn saw nothing wrong with the way he was treating the dogs and was 'completely unrepentant' about his care of them. She said he later breached an undertaking not to keep any animals at his holding, as she found he began keeping cats there.
Defence barrister Paula McCarthy said her client pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, had no previous convictions and has been of good behaviour since. She said he was not appealing a €500 fine, dog rehabilitation costs of €16,450 and legal costs of €3,000.