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"Very sickly pups" dumped in Kilkenny woods

The animals had been where they were left for some time before they were discovered.

Updated at 8.20pm

A NUMBER OF dogs have been found dumped in Co Kilkenny in horrific conditions.

14 animals were discovered in a wooded area near Callan while one animal is terrified and has so far evaded rescue.

The dogs, all of the lurcher breed, are being cared for at the Deise Animal Sanctuary in Ballymacarbry, Co Waterford having been delivered to the sanctuary by Kilkenny SPCA.

“What we saw brought tears to our eyes – crawling with fleas, bellies full of worms, bones jutting out, pressure sores and some very sickly pups,” the sanctuary said on Facebook.

dogs2 The dogs as they were found Deise Animal Sanctuary / Facebook Deise Animal Sanctuary / Facebook / Facebook

dogs3

Speaking to TheJournal.ie Patricia Edwards from Deise said the find is all too common at this time of year.

“It’s such a common incident, especially now that it’s holiday season. It’s round now that families realise they can’t cope with a pet and things like this end up happening,” she said.

These particular dogs are hunting dogs, and it’s not yet hunting season, that’s why this has happened. Lurchers are probably the most abused dogs in Ireland at present.
If it was September these animals wouldn’t have been dumped.

dogs5

Edwards said similar acts have been perpetrated before, and by the same person in her opinion.

“These kind of dumpings are depressingly common,” she said

I think they’ll be caught though – there’s 14 animals here – someone will recognise them and where they have come from.

As for the animals themselves, Edwards says it will be touch and go.

They’re very, very emaciated, particularly the mother of the pups. And four of the pups are in terrible condition also.
The public have been brilliant though and helping as much as they can. Right now we just need to keep them as warm as possible.
It’s tragic – these animals make wonderful pets. There’s no need for it.

Read: Man arrested for animal cruelty after Staffie found with mouth taped shut

Read: Two men charged with using kittens as live bait for greyhound training

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45 Comments
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    Mute John Cotter
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    Jul 9th 2015, 6:59 PM

    knackers

    503
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    Mute Eamonn Boylan
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    Jul 9th 2015, 7:43 PM

    New laws should be brought into legislation towards animal cruelty in this country, it’s shameful what’s simply allowed to happen in our country in this day and age!

    485
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    Mute Andrea Rock Massey
    Favourite Andrea Rock Massey
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    Jul 9th 2015, 11:02 PM

    New laws? Don’t be silly, Simon Coveney has insisted that there is no animal abuse problem here in Ireland. He wouldn’t be lying, would he?

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    Mute Jamie McCormack
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    Jul 9th 2015, 11:34 PM

    His govt has cut funding anyway.

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    Mute Eddie Nugent
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    Jul 10th 2015, 10:19 AM

    sadly very true Eamonn

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    Mute Vana
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    Jul 9th 2015, 7:07 PM

    This is getting beyond ridiculous. Something needs to be done to regulate the sale of dogs from so called puppy farms. Whoever this is should be strung up.

    451
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    Mute Sarah O'Sullivan
    Favourite Sarah O'Sullivan
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    Jul 9th 2015, 10:01 PM

    Its not just puppy farms. Plenty ordinary people allowing their dogs to accidently breed then either drowning or abandoning the pups. It should be law that everyone be obliged to have their dogs spayed/neutered unless they have a breeding licence, in which case they are regularly inspected. Its disgusting, particularly given the op can be done for the price of a night out. Websites that allow backyard breeders to sell litter after litter of pups aren’t helping either.

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    Mute Anita OGalligan
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    Jul 10th 2015, 5:17 AM

    I totally agree with you Sarah. I would extend. It to cats. All breeders must have a licence for
    Breeding. Animals can’t talk. More education is needed about the responsibility of owning a pet.
    The perpetrator who dumped those pups should be found and brought to justice.

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    Mute Diane Cauldwell
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    Jul 9th 2015, 7:03 PM

    lowest of the low…

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    Mute Terry OCallaghan
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    Jul 9th 2015, 11:45 PM

    my god..If you cannot take care of your animals call someone in animal care don’t just dump them..how in God’s name can you do this..It has to be the cruelest most heartless thing to do. .shame on you. I sincerely hope you are caught !!!

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    Mute Louise
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    Jul 9th 2015, 7:31 PM

    Deise animal sanctaury who are currently caring for these pets are doing collections around the south east over the coming days for food, bedding, etc. If anyone thinks they may have somthing to offer, please check their FB page for more details. These poor innocent animals need all the support they can get. It’s so cruel to think a person could treat another living thing with such indignity.

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    Mute Jamie McCormack
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    Jul 9th 2015, 11:09 PM

    Hope your fundraising goes really well. It’s horrible to see this.

    44
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    Mute lizzy lacey
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    Jul 9th 2015, 8:32 PM

    Fair play to Deise animal sanctuary they are a brilliant charity that struggle due to lack of donations but would never turn an animal in need away. If this animal cruelty upset you donate some €’s to this charity who are looking after these dogs, this will help more then comments on how wrong animal cruelty is.

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    Mute Ian moylan
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    Jul 9th 2015, 7:21 PM

    And people think this only goes on in Asia

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    Mute Chris Jones
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    Jul 9th 2015, 10:28 PM

    The hypocrisy regarding animal cruelty in Asia serves the same purpose as the propaganda regarding gay laws in Russia – it’s politicians who want to push an agenda manipulating the little people to further their own interests.

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    Mute 6Degreesbelle
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    Jul 9th 2015, 7:21 PM

    The people responsible for this need the maximum punishment allowable. At least €150 and a limit on the number of animals they can have. That’s going to teach them!

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    Mute Mary Mc Carthy
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    Jul 10th 2015, 2:42 AM

    On the contrary they should never be allowed to.have an animal again and do at least 12 months in jail.

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    Mute Michael Tynan
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    Jul 9th 2015, 8:48 PM

    time to act ban puppy farms

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    Mute Dave Meagher
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    Jul 9th 2015, 9:24 PM

    If they are this cruel to lovable pups imagine what they are like in their other dealing. Most mass murders started with animals.

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    Mute Ann Glasgow
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    Jul 9th 2015, 9:42 PM

    the thing is we all know where this sort of thing is going on but we are afraid to speak out! there are certain sections of our communities that feel its ok to steal family pets and use them for breeding and all sorts. then we have the puppy farms, again, locally everyone knows what going on but we all turn a blind eye. facebook and other sites have dogs/puppies for sale every day of the week but if you comment or say anything all you get is abuse from those that just dont care less. at least the people that have found them will give these poor dogs a chance and hopefully the will get good homes.

    it sad to say but animal cruelty is an every day situation now and each episode is worse than the last!

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    Mute Elaine Shannon
    Favourite Elaine Shannon
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    Jul 10th 2015, 12:32 AM

    There were two stories in recent day concerning abhorant senseless grossly violent acts perpetrated by individuals against completely innocent parties….. one person was jailed for 5 years with 18 months for almost burning a complete stranger to death in a packed nightclub and the other was jailed for 7 years with 3 suspended for almost beating a man to death in a row over money. when such lax sentences are handed down for human to human acts of barbarity, what hope have abused animals of ever being adequately protected by the law?

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    Mute TheLoneHurler
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    Jul 10th 2015, 1:02 AM

    Well said Elaine.

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    Mute John Fitzgerald
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    Jul 12th 2015, 2:00 AM

    The legality of “sports” like hare coursing and fox hunting make a mockery of our so-called “animal protection” laws.

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    Mute Jamie McCormack
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    Jul 9th 2015, 11:07 PM

    Hard to believe people can be so heartless. Money is tight for many and charities have a bad rep lately, but if you have a spare couple of euro you could do worse than donate to the ISPCA or some similar body. These groups have little or no funding and still do Trojan work.

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    Mute billy dunne
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    Jul 9th 2015, 10:17 PM

    Why not just bring it to the dogs home what’s hard about that sçûm

    25
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    Mute Deputydawg
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    Jul 9th 2015, 11:06 PM

    Simple question here. In regards to puppy farms and the seizures of puppies from same, and most of these puppies and so called pedigree puppies, Can anybody tell me what role the Irish Kennel Club play in this despicable business. Money from the breeders for registering the puppies as breed pedigrees. And money from new owners to change of ownership. Am just asking.

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    Mute Andrea Rock Massey
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    Jul 9th 2015, 11:17 PM

    I don’t think they are registered, there is a lot of inbreeding on these farms, mothers breeding with sons etc so the kennel club would never register them. I went to one to get a dog once (I didn’t know until I got there that it was a puppy farm). The owner told me that the “pedigree” dogs were not registered. Shocking place! Countless dogs kept in cages, purely there to breed repeatedly.

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    Mute Sarah O'Sullivan
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    Jul 9th 2015, 11:24 PM

    anyone who would go to the expense and trouble to record and register breeding is unlikely to be the kind of breeder who abandon dogs. Most reputable breeders will not only have the pups registered but will also produce vaccination certs. Neither registration nor vacc certs seem to be required to sell pups en masse on certain websites. A lot of people selling pubs online describe them a ‘pedigree non-registered’..this simply shouldnt be allowed.

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    Mute Jeffrey O'Donoghue
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    Jul 10th 2015, 12:07 AM

    I’d go hungry before leaving an animal like that. Shocking

    23
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    Mute Brid Reynolds
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    Jul 10th 2015, 12:55 AM

    All pets should be neutered. If you want to breed animals you should get a licence if you fulfil certain criteria. Animals are not inanimate objects like a car, they have needs, sometimes complex needs that even the most loving owners might not appreciate. I don’t know why people think they can do as they like when it comes to animals.

    21
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    Mute TheLoneHurler
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    Jul 10th 2015, 1:03 AM

    Sounds like a good idea, but what do the animal health experts say, are they advocating it?

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    Mute Brid Reynolds
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    Jul 14th 2015, 4:57 PM

    I know that animal charities here and in the UK advocate neutering pets. I don’t think they condone breeding at all as there are already so many unwanted pets. I think if it was regulated, you may not stop but you would significantly decrease the abuse and suffering of animals. I don’t see why the state shouldn’t adopt this policy, eventually it would reduce the numbers needing to be rehoused and destroyed by councils thereby saving money, it would raise revenue through the purchasing of licences. It would create jobs to implement and inspect and most importantly breeders would have to register for VAT that is currently going into people’s pockets tax free. This all seems to make sense to me, therefore I expect it will never happen!

    3
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    Mute Tony Murphy
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    Jul 9th 2015, 11:38 PM

    Some seriously sick fcukers out there. Somebody has to know who had those dogs.

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    Mute Maria Spain
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    Jul 10th 2015, 1:10 AM

    I just can’t comprehend how someone could do that to innocent pups and a beautiful dog. All animals should be respected, loved and cared for. I’d rather animals over people anyway!

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    Mute Gus Sheridan
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    Jul 10th 2015, 12:36 AM

    Lurchers? Wonder who has lurchers?

    14
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    Mute Jamie McCormack
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    Jul 10th 2015, 1:04 AM

    Remember a story on here about 2 years ago about a young lurcher pup found behind a wall with it’s throat cut, think it was Westmeath. Bad bad act.

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    Mute Eddie Nugent
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    Jul 10th 2015, 10:32 AM

    Jamie

    no offence, you are not correct that incident did not happen in Westmeath as a local i would remember such an outrageous event the story link is below

    http://www.thejournal.ie/puppy-throat-slashed-742050-Jan2013/

    please do your research before attributing such a bad bad act to a county, we have enough of an image problem in Westmeath and would rather not be associated with such a vile act

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    Mute Jamie McCormack
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    Jul 10th 2015, 11:30 PM

    Sorry man

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    Mute John Fitzgerald
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    Jul 12th 2015, 2:03 AM

    “Fieldsports” enthusiasts are quite attached to lurchers…for as long as they keep the gentlemen amused…

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    Mute Chris Jones
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    Jul 9th 2015, 10:24 PM

    I hope everyone disgusted by this stops buying meat, most of which comes from farms where animals are tortured on a daily basis.

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    Mute Sarah O'Sullivan
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    Jul 9th 2015, 10:32 PM

    Quite simply not true… and I’m a vegetarian! This is not the time or the place to be pushing an agenda

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    Mute TheLoneHurler
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    Jul 10th 2015, 1:01 AM

    Like those cattle who were stolen in Westmeath, Chris? They really looked like farmers torturing their livestock? Get real ya twit.

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    Mute Jimmy Horan
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    Jul 10th 2015, 2:17 AM

    Need to bring in much harsher laws as in chips,neutering,breeding regs,licences and penalties for these people….pet shops should only be allowed sell rescue dogs aswel…too much of this carry on….maybe some education would go a long way!

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    Mute John Fitzgerald
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    Jul 12th 2015, 1:57 AM

    It is sadly quite common for people involved in cruel blood sports such as hare coursing and fox hunting to show contempt for their own dogs and to dump or kill them when they have outlived their usefulness.

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    Jul 10th 2015, 11:04 PM

    It never surprizes me how wicket and evil people can be…

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