Blog Category: Rescue Story

Ear Cropping Case

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In November 2021 we were faced with a sweet innocent puppy who had been seized from his owner by our inspectors and assisted by An Garda Síochána. He had one of the worst cases of ear cropping that we had seen. Most of his poor ears were cut off. They were sore and red with open wounds. The suture material used to stitch his ears had cut through his skin leaving deep sore infected wounds. His left ear had 8 looped stitches and his right ear had 14.

3 of the stitches were pulled so tightly they were embedded into his skin. When our vet tried to clean any part of his ears he cried. It was absolutely heartbreaking hearing him whining and whimpering in pain. He was sedated and the thick blue suture material used to stitch his ears was removed.

On Tuesday, the owner was fined €3,000 at a Dublin District Court and avoided a jail sentence. The owner was not present in court but his solicitor advised that he bought the puppy 2 weeks before he was seized and his ears had already been cropped but Judge Halpin said. “The first thing he should have done was go to a vet who could have applied an antibiotic to the ears “to relieve the pain this dog was going through”. The DSPCA accepts the courts ruling.

Ear cropping is illegal in Ireland. It is an incredibly painful procedure and carried out purely for cosmetic reasons. The pain that poor Rolly went through was completely unnecessary and 100% avoidable. We cared for Rolly, relieved his excruciating pain and nursed him back to health. He is now a happy boy in a wonderful loving home.

Lacey’s Case

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Lacey a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and was owned by a person from North Dublin. She was convicted under the 2013 Act on three counts – failing to safeguard the dogs’ welfare, failing to get veterinary care and to provide fresh food and water.
She was banned from the ownership of a dog for 5 years and fined €2,200.
Lacey weighed just 10.6kg when she arrived at the DSPCA (adult target weight 15/16kg). She weighed in at 14.5kg the day she was rehomed.

Ruby’s Case

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Ruby, an English Bull Terrier was seized from a person in Ballymun. She pleaded guilty on two counts – failing to get veterinary treatment and failing to safeguard the dogs welfare. She surrendered the dog to the DSPSCA, was prosecuted under the 2013 Animal Health and Welfare Act and received a fine of €300.
Ruby had a nail bed infection with broken dew claw, skin allergies and infected eyes as well as being underweight. Her condition improved quickly with veterinary treatment during her rehabilitation in the DSPCA.

Alpha’s Case

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Alpha, a black Labrador cross, was seized by the DSPCA Inspectors from Swords, Co. Dublin because he was living in confined space in a side entrance full of dog faeces without shelter. Alpha was also very underweight. Alpha’s owner pleaded guilty to three counts under the Act and received a lifetime ban on the ownership of any dog and a fine of €1,000. On arrival at the DSPCA, Alpha weighed just 19.8kg (30-40kg is normal) but at time of rehoming he weighed 27kg and has continued to gain and maintain a healthy amount of weight in his new home.

Cat neglect and starvation

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The DSPCA are delighted with the court results from today of an owner of a cat who died due to severe neglect and starvation. Swords District Court found Rudolf Ciskos guilty of mistreating his cat and fined him €200 and court costs of €500 all payable to the DSPCA. He was also banned from the ownership of any animal for a period of 2 years.
This is a great step forward in court proceedings in a case relating to a cat. The DSPCA is rarely successful in prosecutions around cases dealing with cats as proof of ownership is difficult to prove. Unfortunately in this case the cat had to be euthanasied by a DSPCA Vet on humane grounds due to the severity of neglect.

Emaciated Doberman

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On the 19th January 2017, following a court hearing at Balbriggan Court by Judge Dempsey, the owner of an emaciated Doberman dog was convicted of animal cruelty under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013. Before ruling, Judge Dempsey ask the accused, a woman local to Balbriggan, if she had any other animals. She replied that she currently has another dog. He then ruled that the defendant was sentenced to a one year ban on the ownership of animals, a €300 fine and an order to surrender her dog to the DSPCA.
In a Statement by DSPCA Inspector Liam Kinsella, Animal Health and Welfare Inspector authorised officer under section 37 of the animal health and welfare act 2013, “On the 16th March 2016 I received a call from DSPCA dispatch regarding a very underweight Doberman dog ….. I was shocked at the condition of the dog, it was very thin.” Inspector Kinsella said.
Blood samples taken by the DSPCA Veterinary team showed there was no underlying medical conditions which would explain the serious weight loss, so the weight loss was a result of neglect.
Inspector Kinsella said “We are delighted with the outcome of the case. The dog has been rehomed and is doing very well in his new home. We would like to thank Judge Dempsey and the Department of Agriculture for their assistance in this case.”

Violets’s Story

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Poor little Violet came into the shelter in a horrible state with severe matting all over her body and skin inflammation. She was covered in her own feces with a huge build up making it very painful and extremely uncomfortable for her. The bone on her tail was completely exposed and even under sedation it was painful to touch.
Our veterinary team worked very carefully to remove the matted fur and after she was cared for and monitored closely by our animal care staff to make sure she could go to the toilet on her own as she was unable to do so because of the matting. To see any animal this way is just so upsetting and totally unacceptable. With a huge team effort Violet made a full recovery and she was adopted by a wonderful lady who adored her the moment she met her.

Gandalf’s Story

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At 11 years old Gandalf was left abandoned in a horrible state, severely underweight and suffering from skin disease. Apart from toilet breaks he didn’t leave his bed for the first 2 days, he was exhausted. An incredible team of inspectors, vets, nurses, animal care staff, volunteers and the adoptions team put their hearts and souls into helping this old boy feel better.
A truly wonderful family came to meet him and offered their hearts and their home to give Gandalf a chance of love, security and happiness for the rest of his days and today he went home. This old boy completely stole all our hearts and it was only right that we were all there to see him off and wish him and his new family all the love in the world. He had a special little thank you of his own for Lynda who looked after him so well

Renata’s Story

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Renata arrived into the shelter in a terrible state and very unwell. At 12 years old she was underweight, infested with fleas, had skin disease, was very unsteady on her back legs, had dental disease and a heart scan revealed early signs of heart disease.
Over the weeks in our care sweet Renata thankfully responded well to treatment and slowly but surely she started to feel so much better. We are so pleased to say that she found the most wonderful family and she looks amazing… great to see her fluffy belly!

In a recent update from her family they said she was doing well and in great health. They also said “She is truly a joy, always purring and just has the sweetest temperament. Thank you for all the work you did to get her healthy and for bringing her into our lives. We just adore her and it’s so amazing to see the transformation from what she looked like when she came in to how she looks now”.

Abigail’s Story

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Abigail came to the DSPCA from another rescue. She broke her hearts when we saw her arriving into the shelter. She was emaciated and so terrified of everything around her. This poor girl had been through a life of hell and it was so incredibly sad to see. Abigail was a true little angel. She was so sweet and gentle and even through she has been through so much she was so loving and never wanted to do wrong. She was such a  good girl and the staff just fell in love with her. Abigail spent a long time in the shelter recovering and the love and attention she received for our animal care staff and adoptions team helped her become the happy confident that she us today.
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