National: Farmer banned from owning pets following discovery of dead animals in yard with dogs

An animal welfare inspector discovered a rotting cow, pregnant dogs without food or water and lambs trying to suckle on a dead ewe in a trailer on a farm in Laois.

John Dempsey of Strahard, Mountmellick, has been banned from keeping cats or dogs for five years following his appearance at Portlaoise District Court. 

He admitted causing unnecessary suffering to four dogs and four pups, failing to provide access to food and clean water for the animals and permitting carcasses to be on land which a dog may access on July 28, 2022. 

Defence Solicitor Michael Keane described his client as “an old school bachelor farmer”, a label rejected by the Judge and an animal welfare inspector. 

Pictured above conditions at the farm. Credit: ISPCA 

Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(ISPCA) Inspector James McCormack gave evidence of attending a farm in Mountmellick on July 28, 2022. He said the defendant wasn’t present on the day. 

He entered a shed where he discovered two King Charles Spaniels, which he suspected were both pregnant,  in a “filthy” state. He said one of the dogs had open sores on its back. 

Mr McCormack moved on to a trailer where he found a female terrier and four pups. “There was faeces in the trailer and no water,” he explained.

At this point, Mr McCormack said the defendant arrived back and began “wailing and shouting” and telling him to leave the farm. He had taken the two pregnant dogs and the four puppies into his van at this point but was “in fear” of the defendant and rang gardaí.

Mr McCormack said the defendant banged on his window and attempted to open a locked door of his van. The defendant then  reversed his jeep up against a shed door. 

When the gardaí arrived he was able to remove the female terrier. He then checked the shed the defendant had reversed up to. It contained a male King Charles spaniel which had been left without food or water. He inspected the rest of the yard and found “a semi decomposed” cow with a rope tied around its leg. 

 “The head was skull but the rest of the body was just bloated,” he said. He said there was an old collie dog loose in the yard. 

“There was a pile of offal in the yard covered in blue bottles,” Mr McCormack told the sitting of Portlaoise District Court. 

He said he returned on five separate occasions over the next month but never got to speak to the defendant. During the visits he served an animal health and welfare notice. 

He also returned on January 1, 2023 and found a collie in the yard, a german shepherd in a stable building. In a dark shed he found a hen with up to a dozen chicks and no water. He observed a dog in the house as well as two cats. He seized the german shepherd. When he went to leave, a padlock had been placed on the gate, he said. 

Mr McCormack revealed he had visited the farm again ahead on Friday, April 5 ahead of the court hearing and discovered two dogs loose on the property. 

“There was a dead sheep in a trailer with two lambs,” he said. The sheep had been dead for three or four days, he said. “Generally, conditions were awful, there was slurry everywhere,” he remarked.

“The two lambs were in the trailer trying to suckle off the dead sheep,” said Mr McCormack. 

Defence solicitor Michael Keane said his client would always have dogs at the property. He said the man had left school at twelve and worked on the farm with his brother. “Unfortunately his brother was killed in very unfortunate circumstances,” he said.

“Mr Dempsey would be, I suppose, an old school bachelor farmer living on his own in fairly difficult conditions,” he said. He asked Mr McCormack if he agreed with this assertion.  

Mr McCormack said in his view old school bachelor farmers can be good or bad farmers.

Mr Keane said his client would have had a lot of stock and farmed several hundred acres. He said he has two farm hands who help him.  “It is not what you would call a puppy  farm,” he said.  

“I have evidence of puppies being bred there and sold,” said Mr McCormack.  

Mr Keane said his client should have brought the dead animals to the knackery. He asked that his client be allowed to keep his  two dogs.  

“With the current year nobody could get slurry out with the weather,” he said. 

William Maher BL asked Mr McCormack if he believed animals should be at the farm. 

“I don’t think there should be any animals on the property,” he responded. 

Mr McCormack said “the Department of Agriculture have got involved in relation to the farm animals.” 

Mr Keane said his client was a man who paid no attention to any notices that would be issued to him. He again described his client as an old school bachelor farmer.

Judge Nicola Andrews said “I think you are insulting every old school bachelor farmer out there.” 

Mr Keane accepted that it was the obligation of farmers to look after their animals. He said his client was in the process of disposing of stock and that he lived in difficult conditions. 

“I accept the evidence of the Inspector without question,” he said. 

He said his client only had two dogs which he described as a working dog and a pet. “He is not a cruel man,” he  said. 

Judge Andrews said the man was given the opportunity to comply but had ignored the notices. Judge Andrews imposed a three month suspended sentence and she banned the man from owning cats or dogs for five years. 

She cited the “deplorable state that these animals were found in” as she imposed a €2,500 fine and awarded costs of €3233.16 to the prosecution. She fixed recognisance in case of appeal.