Puppy Farm Cavan - BBC exposes

pheasant tail

http://www.newstalk.com/Puppy-farm-Cavan-BBC-Panorama-expose-footage-ISPCA-puppies-dogs-breeding-Raym Anyone see this last night on BBC? How the fcuk could this have passed 6 council inspections in the last year, discrace that their isint appropriate laws to protect against this!! And the fact that it was uncovered by a UK news agency gives me very little hope to think what else is going on over here. Every penny he ever made from this should be stripped of him, hope the **** really suffers. Repeat on BBC 2 at 1:30 on Friday morning

Cherry Blossom

Getting a 404 error to your link. I didn't see it but Ireland is known as the puppy farm capital of Europe for a reason.

There was a fella on to the local radio and local rag here this week about a pup he bought that he believes was puppy farmed. Unfortunately it died but the fella did all the things you just don't do and people didn't have much sympathy for him.

pheasant tail

Oh I don't know why that's not working I'm in the phone but a quick google search will bring it up. Yea but that saying you should never buy a pup if your not allowed to see where it came from, which is how this lad operated, that and exporting to the uk and abroad

Contributor 2013

don't shop - adopt.

Contributor 2013

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/bbc-investigation-highlights-illegal-export-of-irish-puppies-to-uk-1.2650677

PAssed 6 inspections in the last 12 months.

When the BBC showed footage to professions in the sector they declared it basically illegal.

Freedom of Information request sent to Cavan county councin to see the 6 inspections of the last 12 months - guess what?

Denied - on the grounds the inspection reports may contain commercially sensitive information & trade secrets.

****

DBB

Contributor 2013 wrote: »

I'd like to see the bank statements of all the inspectors.

Mod note:
Do not make such allegations on this forum.
If you want to make such allegations, do so via your own blog, where you'll get sued, rather than boards.ie getting sued.
I will also give advance warning about "soapboxing", or pushing an agenda such as "don't shop, adopt". Whilst this forum looks kindly on the rescue effort, it is not an animal rescue forum, and people who buy pups are just as welcome here as those who rescue.
Do not reply to this post on thread.
Thanks,
DBB

ShaShaBear

Literally only up the road from me and many of my married-in family are from the area. Saddens me deeply to see that they are getting away with it.
I've never had any issue with people buying over adopting. We had ourselves considered buying before Opie fell into our laps.
But there's a huge difference between dealing with a professional and ethical breeder through what I can only describe is like a pregnancy (deciding on getting a pup, hearing that your pup is in the next litter, going to see him or her when they are born, spending time with and handling them as they grow and eventually getting to take them home) and exchanging money for a bedraggled flea and worm-ridden poor little soul out of the back of someone's car

Imagine having to give birth in a sealed wooden box

AryaStark

This has literally broke my heart. I have always know that Ireland is known for puppy farming but I hadn't really considered how bad it was for the dogs. I know that that is very naive and I will now start looking into what I can do to help end this. If anybody knows where to start on this i.e signing petitions etc can you pm me please...

pheasant tail

AryaStark wrote: »

This has literally broke my heart. I have always know that Ireland is known for puppy farming but I hadn't really considered how bad it was for the dogs. I know that that is very naive and I will now start looking into what I can do to help end this. If anybody knows where to start on this i.e signing petitions etc can you pm me please...

Yea it's shocking and very hard to watch. I sent a strongly worded email into the council dismorning. I remember a similar story a while back down in Ennis and I remember saying to myself how could the neighbours allow this, people had to know etc. but similar to the poster above, I live within a 15 minute walk from the this lad, and while I, like everybody else, knew what he was doing, I could have never imagined what we seen in the doc, or the scale off it. Never would have I have thought this and I am so mad with myself for not putting 2 and 2 together about a couple of different things. Even worse, this was first shot in November and authorities where aware then yet it's only coming to light now! This from what was a very well known and respected family in the early. He made a statement about it in the local paper today but I haven't seen it yet.

pheasant tail

It's also makes no sense why these people get a few days notice before inspection which gives them more than enough time to clean up their act and make it all look legit

pawrick

Laws with no enforcement mean little changes unfortunately but at least on paper it looks good when asked about what controls are in place and that's all that matters to some people in positions of power.

snoman

pheasant tail wrote: »

AryaStark wrote: »

This has literally broke my heart. I have always know that Ireland is known for puppy farming but I hadn't really considered how bad it was for the dogs. I know that that is very naive and I will now start looking into what I can do to help end this. If anybody knows where to start on this i.e signing petitions etc can you pm me please...

He made a statement about it in the local paper today but I haven't seen it yet.

I'd be very interested in reading his statement, maybe you would post a link or even let me know the name of the newspaper?

Don't beat yourself up about not realising, most of us can't really comprehend that levely of cruelty unless it's shoved under our nose.

It's a truely disgusting and shaming practice that our country, in our name allows to continue. I, too, shall be writing to the Council.

pheasant tail

Anglo Celt Cavan, on the front page. I don't know if it can be got online but I'll be home tomorrow and I'll see it and let you know

AryaStark

There is a notice from the council saying that they carried out a new inspection yesterday and that the helping boxes are no longer in use http://www.cavancoco.ie/Default.aspx?StructureID_str=255&guid=1797

While that is good it is no way good enough. This place has to be closed asap and the practice of mass breeding dogs stopped. Thats it, not regulated, just stopped all together.

kylith

AryaStark wrote: »

There is a notice from the council saying that they carried out a new inspection yesterday and that the helping boxes are no longer in use http://www.cavancoco.ie/Default.aspx?StructureID_str=255&guid=1797

While that is good it is no way good enough. This place has to be closed asap and the practice of mass breeding dogs stopped. Thats it, not regulated, just stopped all together.

I would imagine that they are no longer in use when he thinks someone is watching or has gotten word if an inspection. If nothing else, inspections should be surprises with no warning given.

jonniebgood1

pheasant tail wrote: »

Anglo Celt Cavan, on the front page. I don't know if it can be got online but I'll be home tomorrow and I'll see it and let you know

The local paper has this story on front page with the whole story focused on the cullivan family (they were named in both the bbc program and the celt story). The focus of the story is almost exclusively on the family and glosses over the crime identified. The journalist in question shows an alarming lack of ability and seems to have had contact with the breeder but not actually asked them about the cruelty identified.

pheasant tail

kylith wrote: »

I would imagine that they are no longer in use when he thinks someone is watching or has gotten word if an inspection. If nothing else, inspections should be surprises with no warning given.

The BBC had asked him to comment before releasing the doc so that could have been anytime in the last few weeks, he would have had that cleaned up long before the public ever became aware of it. Sadly he will still continue doing what he's doing, and will still legally have to be given notice before any further inspections

pheasant tail

jonniebgood1 wrote: »

The local paper has this story on front page with the whole story focused on the cullivan family (they were named in both the bbc program and the celt story). The focus of the story is almost exclusively on the family and glosses over the crime identified. The journalist in question shows an alarming lack of ability and seems to have had contact with the breeder but not actually asked them about the cruelty identified.

Haven't seen it yet, did he actually make a statement or was he quoted saying anything? If not then he may not have had any contact, wouldn't surprise me! While he mainly dealt with the UK, he did use done deal, he could have anywhere upto 10 phones at any one time, labelled for example 'golden retriever John', he operated under different names and he with go and meet people with the pups never letting them to the house. If anyone is buying any dogs, please please make sure you visit the house and see the pups, the mother etc,

sillysmiles

http://www.thejournal.ie/puppy-breeding-farms-2778410-May2016/

According to this article there are 73 registered breeding farms in Ireland. That's the registered ones. The Cullivan farm had over 300 breeding dogs.
Last night on my facebook feed at least three rescues/pounds shared photos of dogs urgently needing homes as the pound were full. That is a regular occurrence.
What authority in their right mind think that we need dog breeding farms at all. It should never (imo) been legislated for at all other than to ban this kind of operation.

It all makes me so angry.

muddypaws

I wonder if we are all going about it the wrong way. The inspections are done, and puppy farms passed, but what criteria of animal welfare are the inspectors using? Do they look upon dogs in the same way as farm livestock, so, once there is food, water, shelter etc, that they pass them as meeting welfare standards? However, farm livestock do not then go on to live in people's houses, mix with people in social situations etc. Science has proven how important socialisation is to a dogs' development, so this should be a factor in inspecting breeding establishments. If the socialisation needs aren't met, then the establishment should fail. This is what should be being pushed.

So, perhaps the right way to get change is to remind the councils and Dept of Ag that they are responsible for the dogs that get sold, and that if there are any injuries to people caused by an unsocialised dog that was born and reared in an establishment that they passed as appropriate, that they could be sued. Money talks. It would not be difficult to prove that they have failed in their job, as there is extensive scientific research about puppy socialisation and the impact that not doing it can have on adult dogs. It would need a concerted effort by vets, animal welfare organisations and human health care professionals, so that if a dog does bite someone, where it came from could be traced back, which county council approved the establishment and then action taken.

Lemlin

pheasant tail wrote: »

Haven't seen it yet, did he actually make a statement or was he quoted saying anything? If not then he may not have had any contact, wouldn't surprise me! While he mainly dealt with the UK, he did use done deal, he could have anywhere upto 10 phones at any one time, labelled for example 'golden retriever John', he operated under different names and he with go and meet people with the pups never letting them to the house. If anyone is buying any dogs, please please make sure you visit the house and see the pups, the mother etc,

I live in the county and while I knew the man was messing about with dogs and breeding, I had no idea of the scale. The shocking thing is that he was registering a lot of these dogs so, while they mightn't have all been traceable, a lot were.

I once saw a "Labrador" a man bought off him a few years back. €200 was meant to get a chunky UK bred Lab according to the ads. What he has looks more like a greyhound than a Lab.

Bandana boy

Why would he be inspected 6 times in one year , this can't be the standard rate of inspection surely ?

So was he really failing and been given an opportunity to fix the problem each time ?

SillyMangoX

This just got me thinking, is there nothing in he animal welfare law about the 5 freedoms? Okay going by standard animal welfare they all have access to food, water and shelter but none of these animals would have the opportunity to express normal behaviour, they quite often aren't free from pain or disease and they definitely don't have freedom from fear or distress. So out of the 5 cornerstones of animal welfare, that's 3 of the boxes left unchecked.. Surely it's reasonable to think that those standards should be looked upon when trying to prosecute these people..

galljga1

Where is this guy based? There are a few Ray Cullivans in cavan.

Mycroft H

galljga1 wrote: »

Where is this guy based? There are a few Ray Cullivans in cavan.

http://www.solocheck.ie/Irish-Company/Five-Star-Paws-Limited-574313

dogdog1

A protest will take place outside Cavan County Council Offices on Saturday 28th of May . For more information go to Facebook , Sue Lady kilbracken and Pups Not Profit . Hopefully this will be the start of a campaign to finally eradicate this country of the evil of mass puppy production .

Nekarsulm

dogdog1 wrote: »

A protest will take place outside Cavan County Council Offices on Saturday 28th of May . For more information go to Facebook , Sue Lady kilbracken and Pups Not Profit . Hopefully this will be the start of a campaign to finally eradicate this country of the evil of mass puppy production .

Protest on a day when no Council officials are there. Great.
It's just like the protests outside the Dail on Saturday.
Handy for the shop in Aldi or Lidl, though.

dogdog1

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Protest on a day when no Council officials are there. Great.
It's just like the protests outside the Dail on Saturday.
Handy for the shop in Aldi or Lidl, though.

The officials don't need to be there . It's not like they were going to come out to be shouted at anyway . All that needs to be there is the protesters and the media . If that happens , you can rest assured the relevant authorities will see it . Saturday was picked as the best day for a good turnout .

AryaStark

Is anybody from here going to the protest organised in Cavan on Saturday.

I will be going along but there seems to be some issues already about where is best to protest and what banners etc to bring.
It would be a pity if it turned into people arguing instead of everyone coming together to try to stop puppy farming.

Contributor 2013

unfortunately I have plans on the day which I cannot change.

However if people are there and taking video etc I'll offer my services by way of making a video which can shared on facebook/youtube for the cause. Message me for more details &or if interested*

Cherry Blossom

Guys, just be aware that organising protests and such like via Boards is frowned upon. You are welcome to discuss it but keep the organising to channels that have been set up elsewhere.

Thanks,
CB.

Contributor 2013

Apologies Mod & thank you.

AryaStark

http://www.northernsound.ie/news/controversial-puppy-farm-served-with-planning-enforcement-notice/#st_refDomain=www.facebook.com&st_refQuery=/

I have just read this and am wondering if anybody knows what it means?

I am not sure what an enforcement notice is!

Contributor 2013

not entirely sure either, but sounds like good news.

foggy_lad

Bandana boy wrote: »

Why would he be inspected 6 times in one year , this can't be the standard rate of inspection surely ?

So was he really failing and been given an opportunity to fix the problem each time ?

That does sound very odd, you would think that maybe 1 inspection every year or 18 months would be all that would be done unless specific information was received by the council.

AryaStark wrote: »

http://www.northernsound.ie/news/controversial-puppy-farm-served-with-planning-enforcement-notice/#st_refDomain=www.facebook.com&st_refQuery=/

I have just read this and am wondering if anybody knows what it means?

I am not sure what an enforcement notice is!

It usually means that planning permission was not sought/got for all or part of some building or for a change of use etc.

The enforcement notice afaik gives the owners a certain time to bring the property/building into compliance with the planning permission or to cease trading in or demolish buildings which have no planning permission.

Contributor 2013

sounds hopeful then - potentially he may have to reduce the size of his operation. Not the outcome I personally had hoped for but it's a start at least.

pheasant tail

We had a small protest outside his house on Saturday. Not there too long when the guards arrived but we where doing nothing wrong! They where asked to comment but declined. Majority of people passing where supportive, some closer neighbours however didn't share the same view as we did

sillysmiles

pheasant tail wrote: »

some closer neighbours however didn't share the same view as we did

What were the views expressed?

AryaStark

Contributor 2013 wrote: »

sounds hopeful then - potentially he may have to reduce the size of his operation. Not the outcome I personally had hoped for but it's a start at least.

As you say it is a start. I would love to get the regulations and laws changed but it will probably take a bit of time. For now at least something is going to have to change.