Meallan muilte Dé go mall ach meallan siad go mion.
God's mill may grind slowly, but it grinds finely.

 

UPDATE: Family deny 'puppy factory' disease claim

Also: Dog breeders refute 'puppy farm' allegations

 

Squalor of Irish factory-farmed puppies

by John Mooney

The Sunday Times June 10, 2007, pg 5

 

Inside the breeze-block shed, the stench of dog excrement is overwhelming.  John Boland Jr points to a wire pen holding yelping puppies. Some bark with excitement expecting to be freed, others cower in the darkness.

 

"You can have them for €200 each.  They are ready to go now," he said, pointing to three white German shepherd puppies in another corner of the dimly lit shed.  Boland Jr points to another filthy pen holding poodles and cavalier King Charles spaniels.  The asking price is €250 each.  The puppies are infested with fleas.

 

Outside in the farmyard Boland's father, also John, boasts that he has a reputation of being a large-scale puppy farmer. Asked how many dogs he keeps, he brags: "They say I'm the biggest in Ireland and Europe.  I can get you whatever type of pup you want and the more you sell the better.  We are all in it to make money.  The more pups we sell, the better for everyone."

 

It is a scene that has been repeated regularly in this secluded farm on the border of Westmeath and Offaly, close to the village of Moate. The puppy farm is not visible from the main Dublin to Galway road.  Signs warn trespassers to stay clear and CCTV cameras guard the premises. The Bolands do not sell puppies to members of the public; only to dealers.  The only way you'd know it's there is the sound of hundreds of barking dogs held in sheds on the site.

 

The farm has discreetly serviced the puppy industry for years, according to animal welfare investigators. "I have a couple of hundred dogs here," Boland Jr told an undercover reporter posing as a dealer last week. "We have cockers, Labradors, shih-tzus, corgis. There are loads. There are bichon frises, poodles and even cockerdoodles.  did you ever hear of them? They are the designer breeds."

 

Poodles, he said, cost as much as €400.  Pugs, a rare breed of toy dog, command up to €700.

 

"I will be able to get you dogs," he promised, when asked if he could supply regular shipments. "How many are you talking about? Would you want a load every two or three weeks?  I can get you the paperwork. That's no bother.  I can get you the vet certs and the whole lot."

 

There are believed to be up to 50 puppy farms in Ireland, with some keeping up to 100 animals in cramped and cruel conditions, but the Bolands is by far the largest.  There are said to be more than 700 dogs at times, possibly as many as 1,200.  They produce "pedigree" puppies for a network of dealers who sell throughout Ireland, Britain and Europe.

 

"Stephen Philpott, chief executive of the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA) said: "Boland his his son are producing thousands of puppies each year which makes them the biggest producers in Europe. This is causing welfare groups endless problems.  They need to be closed down."

 

Commercial puppy farming is considered unethical, but not illegal.  Most reputable breeders pride themselves on vetting future owners and homes. The father-and-son team, however, have no interest in such matters.

 

"The dogs are seen purely as a commercial product to be bred for the cheapest price possible and sold on for the maximum profit," said Mark Beazley, general manager of the Irish SPCA.

 

"When puppies are bred on such a large scale it means that short cuts are taken. Bitches are bred too many times, which creates a myriad of problems. The puppies don't receive the proper socialisation they need.  In the end, they don't make suitable pets and suffer from extreme behavioural problems."

 

The ISPCA has attempted to investigate Boland in the past. In 2003 it arranged a surprise inspection of the farm, but found all the kennels had just been cleaned, leading them to conclude he had been tipped off.

 

The Bolands are aware of the Society's interest.  Boland Jr confided: "We always get hassle from the ISPCA because we are the biggest."

 

The ISPCA maintains dealers such as the Bolands are exploiting a loophole in Irish law that allows puppy farms to operate unregulated.  In Britain, a bitch aged over eight cannot be used for breeding and no bitch can produce more than two litters a year.  No such regulations exist in Ireland, making it a profitable location to factory far puppies.

 

Puppies bred in unregulated farms enable dealers to doubkle their profits, because they can be sold for normal prices to unsuspecting members of the public.  A spaniel purchased by the Sunday Times for €250 would sell for €500 through a reputable breeder.

 

Lori O'Neill, a member of the Monaghan SPCA, has written to government agencies complaining about the farm. "It is deplorable that antiquated animal welfare laws allow an operation like the Bolands' to thrive with immunity. We have lobbied our politicians but to no avail," she said.

 

The farm is an unauthorised development, says Offaly county council, but it hasn't carried out an inspection to establish how waste produced by the dogs is being disposed of.  The Bolands would not elaborate on their welfare and environmental practices.

 

When confronted, Boland Jr said: "This has nothing to do wit you. What would you know about it? There are people in Dublin with nothing to eat.  Go do something about that."

 

Source: The Sunday Times

 

 

 

 

 

 

Animal Legislation in the Republic of Ireland

 

Thanks to ANVIL Ireland