Wicklow woman (22) banned from keeping animals for 30 years

Irish Independent

5 days ago

Sarah Cullen (22) with an address at Asgard Close, Arklow, Co Wicklow, entered guilty pleas at Arklow District Court yesterday to a total of four offences under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, including one of obstructing an authorised officer.
Judge David Kennedy imposed a 30-year disqualification from keeping all animals, a nominal €500 fine, and ordered that Ms Cullen pay €2,620.35 in ISPCA costs.
The court heard evidence from ISPCA chief inspector Conor Dowling yesterday, who described how he called at the defendant's home on April 9, 2024, which was in response to a report received from a concerned member of the public.
Mr Dowling spoke with Ms Cullen, who brought two dogs to the front door: a back and white Collie named Sky and a six-month-old Golden Retriever pup named Romeo.
Inspector Dowling said he could immediately see that both dogs were in poor condition and told how he picked up the Collie and was alarmed at how light she was. He said he could feel every bone in her body and described her as "a bag of bones".
The inspector made the decision that he was going to bring both dogs for veterinary assessment and would seize them if necessary.
While he loaded the Collie into his vehicle, the accused brought the Retriever pup into the house and would not permit the inspector access to it.
The court heard that Mr Dowling advised the defendant that he would seek a search warrant to gain access to the dog if necessary.
He said she seemed more concerned about who had made the report and said that she wanted to make a complaint about the officer.
Mr Dowling told how he gave the accused a business card and advised how she could go about making a complaint, adding that, as he left the property, Ms Cullen said: 'I'll have your job you f***ing c***'.
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Collie Sky was taken to a local vet, where she was found to weigh just 7.5kg, but veterinary records showed that she had been presented for vaccination two years prior, at which time she was almost double that weight, at 14.8kg.
The vet assigned her a body condition score of one out of five and described her as 'skin and bone'.
The court heard how Inspector Dowling obtained a search warrant the following morning, on April 10, and returned to Asgard Close accompanied by gardaí.
Contact was made with the defendant, and it was established that she and the Retriever pup Romeo were at her sister's home. Therefore, the officials went to that address and the second dog was seized.
Inspector Dowling said that the pup's belly appeared swollen, and he formed the opinion that he had been fed a lot since the previous day. He said the pup vomited during the journey to the vets, producing a large volume of barely digested dog food.
The court heard that during the veterinary examination, Romeo was found to weigh 13.5kg, while the vet records showed that he had lost 2.9kg in the previous 11 weeks despite being a growing pup.
The vet noted muscle wastage on the back legs of the dog, and said that the dog should weigh over 20kg, describing him as 'skin and bone'.
Mr Dowling told of how he later conducted an interview under caution with the defendant, during which she offered no real explanation for the condition of the dogs.
She claimed that Sky was a picky eater and acknowledged that she had noticed they were losing weight, but claimed not to think it was as severe as it was.
The court heard that both dogs increased in weight over the following three weeks without any medical treatment. Sky almost doubled in weight, increasing from 7.5kg back to her previous weight of 14.8kg, and Romeo gained 25pc of his initial weight, from 13.5kg to 18kg.
Both dogs recovered fully and were later surrendered and rehomed.
Under cross-examination, Inspector Dowling confirmed that, other than the poor physical condition, there were no other signs of neglect or abuse.
When asked by Judge David Kennedy whether the dog's coats were dirty, suggesting that they had been living in a poor environment, the inspector told the Judge that that was not the case.
In mitigation, the defendant's history of depression and anxiety disorders was highlighted, as well as her difficult upbringing. The court heard that she 'panicked' when the ISPCA inspector arrived and that she was 'sorry for her behaviour'.
On passing sentence, Judge Kennedy wondered 'how it got so bad' and said that he would have thought that the defendant's family "would have been some guidance'.
Mr Dowling said that the "poor physical condition of Sky in particular was really concerning".
"For a dog to be half of its ideal body weight is exceptional. I'm relieved that I got there in time because I'm not sure how much longer she would have gone on for," he said.
"Romeo's future development could have been severely compromised from being deprived of nutrition at such a young age.
"Thankfully, due to the wonderful work of our animal care staff, both have recovered fully and are enjoying life in their new homes," he added.