We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
AN ELDERLY WOMAN has been ordered by a District Court judge to refrain from owning any dogs after a number of animals had to be put down when they were rescued from her care.
A Waterford District Court judge ordered that Anna Butler (78) of Hillview, Waterford City, “refrain from purchasing or having in her possession, or under her control, any dog”.
Butler (78) had pleaded guilty to failing to safeguard the health and welfare of nine dogs in August 2016.
A statement from the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) detailed the events surrounding the rescue of the dogs.
Responding to a call made to the ISPCA helpline, inspector Alice Lacey visited Butler’s home and found nine Wheaten Terrier dogs living in poor conditions in the back yard.
Lacy said that the conditions the dogs were in were terrible and the yard was covered in faeces.
“The smell was so overpowering and there were flies everywhere,” said Lacey.
The dogs had no water or dry area to sit down. Most of the dogs were confined to dog crates and they were soaked in their own urine. One dog was squashed into a dark pen that had a concrete block covering the door.
The dogs were signed over the ISPCA. Veterinary examinations found two of the animals were severely emaciated. Another dog had a burst ulcer on its face, while others had very poor teeth.
The dogs were extremely aggressive and in very poor health. On veterinary advice after a number of consultations the decision was made to put the animals down.
The judge took into account Butler’s age and health when making his decision. He barred her from keeping dogs and fined her €100 and ordered her to pay €697 in veterinary costs.
Butler had been a member of the Irish Kennel Club who has a long history of breeding Wheaten Terriers.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
A member of the IKC, you would think she should know better.
@Just Me: The woman was 78 and probably struggled to look after herself. Hopefully she will receive care and help now also.
@Just Me: Irish Kennel Club is a disgrace from my experience. They are willing to promote breeders at the cost of ignoring badly treated puppies, not their responsibility I was told first hand.
I know there is no excuse, but in my opinion what we have here is a woman almost in her eighties who had obviously been involved with dogs for years and in the latter years it got too much for her and probably led to a dog hoarding situation, her family friends and community should have acted, so so sad for these poor defenceless animals.
@Kate Flaherty: I was thinking similar.
She was told she should refrain from owning any animals should she not have been forbidden to own an animal.
@Brianán McBride: I should have read before posting, she is barred.
@Brianán McBride: Still your point is valid, back yard breeders and greed. But mostly the public, who keep the demand going and we should have an Animal Abuse Register.
@Stephen murphy: I didn’t want to read the story as I find reading any cruelty to animals hard to stomach hence posting after reading a few lines then reading the last paragraph.
fair play now sort out the horses behind Hilview that roam the road in the dark night and have to be fed by Animal welfare in winter. Is it not a sensible to link ownership of horses to ownership or permitted use of land to graze them on.
€100? What sort of deterrent is that meant to be? You pay more if you park in the wrong place and get clamped!
What the f— is the point fining veterinary costs… they should be charged 5000 to 10000 costs..and made it payable to dogs trust…. what a joke
100 euro… In Israel, courts fine Jewish settlers on illegal Palestinian land miniscule amounts because they really want them to keep doing it. Is our justice system so bad that it almost encourages people to do this. This fine is literally isn’t even worth the purchase value of these eight dogs, never mind the moral value!!
Greedy breeders wouldn’t say she cared at all about the dogs just the profit…. don’t care what age she is she was well able to feed and mind herself…..
100€ fine only??? Wat is goin on in this world? Tv licence costs more than killing animals now??
Disgusting toerag I am sick of this cruelty in this country… so many other dogs and animals in the same situation right now.. breaks my heart and poxy fines seems to be the common trend of the judicial system in this country…. shame on us…hope she herself gets a cruel ending and suffering in life…… rip poor creatures
Age is no excuse for neglect or abuse. Disgusting excuse for a human being!
This case is a little different but in general, when someone is caught puppy farming, they get a slap on the wrist and a warning and maybe a small fine … and so they inevitably do it all over again. Unless there are far more severe punishments, this will never be clamped down on.
A friend of mine had the most nervous little dog that she adopted from the dspca. She had been in a puppy farm forced to have litter upon litter of pups and when she was rescued, it was a wonder she was alive the condition she was in. The man running it has been caught and fined three times puppy farming and was still at it … and still walked free. Madness
What an awful 24 hours of news so far
She was in very poor health .age and ill health caught up with her and her pride prevented her asking for help . She was an excellent ambassador for breed .adored her terriers and was held in high esteem worldwide. She became very ill . But she tried to carry on and by the time her friends and I had the chance to rescue them The Ispca got involved and insisted she surrender them or she would be in trouble so she did and she got in trouble anyway. She was told her dogs would be rehomed so im disturbed we had not the opportunity to save them . All nine were pts im very saddened about that . Its sad story .they did not derm vicious to us .but the trauma of been taken and put in pound could have stressed bewildered them .that woman is totally devastated. The judge saw her and saw fit not to crucify her .
@Marieclaire Walsh: “by the time my friends and I had a chance to rescue them”- It took a long time for them to get to the stage they were emaciated and an burst facial ulcer. If you were interested in rescuing them, you have had ample time.
I have zero sympathy for anyone who would leave living creatures in such conditions, if you cared for these animals, you would have done something other than comment on this thread.
@Marieclaire Walsh: She had ample time to pick up a phone to ispca kennel club etc to get the rehomed. €100 fine and vets bills was far too easy
@Marieclaire Walsh: “the trauma of been taken and put in pound could have stressed bewildered them”… thus their hostility to ISPCA staff.
So by implication you think they were better off locked up in horrendous conditions!? Or worse you blame the ISPCA for the outcome!!?? You’d want to reflect on what you’ve said publicly and what has occurred.
@Louise: She has as much right to comment on this thread as you do !! The same person has rescued more dogs than I have ever owned and has nurtured them back to full health at her own expense. It is understandable the comments in the main on here are of shock. As an animal lover myself I would always put the welfare of animals above anything, and likewise would condemn animal cruelty unreservedly. After reading the actual judgement in this case it is worth noting the judge was in fact very upset about the condition of the dogs, but noted that the 78 year old lady had an excellent history of caring for her dogs. He accepted these conditions had crept up on this elderly woman and it was more neglect from no longer being mentally and physically capable of looking after the dogs than intentional cruelty. It also appears that it was unnecessary to put all of them to sleep and some could have been rescued. This it seems was a very sad case. It does not excuse the poor dogs suffering, but it was not a typical dog breeding abuse type of crime. The judge while upset, was mindful of the elderly womans long and loving history of caring for her dogs. The fine was a token one with the main ruling being that she could not have more dogs in the future. Sometimes its easier to react with hateful comments (and understandable), but this case was more sad than anything for dogs and owner alike.
There were 9 dogs – not 7. They were all seized by the ISPCA and killed. Bad and all as the original situation was the ISPCA made it worse. That’s the real story here, killing not treating the dogs.
Lock her away in the same conditions she left these defenceless animals in. Disgusting woman!
€769 total for abusing and neglecting all those animals- this country is an absolute joke. Old or not, there is no excuse for that.
The Kennel Club are like The Teaching Council, not worth a f*ck.
have your say