THE Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reports that a Limerick man was convicted and fined in Kilmallock District Court for causing unnecessary suffering to dogs, and having chained, unburied carcasses of two adult dogs and one puppy on his property. Defendant Seamus Looby of Raheen, Garryspillane, Co. Limerick, pleaded guilty on September 18th 2018 to the charges, and received a fine of €1,150. Judge Marion O’Leary also ordered him to pay an additional €1,000 to the ISPCA toward the costs of the investigation. Judge O’Leary restricted Mr Looby from keeping dogs for 18 months under section 58 of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013.

ISPCA Animal Welfare Inspectors seized 37 dogs from Looby’s farm on May 16th 2017 after they were alerted to the condition of the dogs by a veterinary inspector for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The dogs, mostly collies, were flea-ridden, tightly chained in outhouses and sheds, and were weak and lethargic due to the lack of basic care. Two adult dogs and one puppy were also discovered deceased on the initial visit.

ISPCA Senior Inspector Lisa O’Donovan said: “These dogs suffered greatly and it was shocking to see three of these animals had already died. We are grateful to the Department of Agriculture for alerting us to this case and for bringing this the prosecution.”

Looby’s solicitor told the court that the dogs had been delivered by another man, who chained them in different areas and advised that they be kept that way. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine brought the prosecution against Mr Looby, and was represented by Thomas Wallace O’Donnell, BL.