Animal welfare - Man and sons jailed for neglect of 23 dogs and four horses at Kilkenny home

Three members of a Kilkenny family have been jailed following their conviction for animal welfare offences.

Kilkenny Circuit Court was told 23 dogs and four horses were found in “abject conditions” giving rise to charges of neglect and failing to care for the animals against a man and his two adult sons.

All the animals were seized by welfare agencies following a raid on the family home in November, 2020.

All of the animals were found in poor condition. Two of the dogs required surgery - one costing more than €2,000 and the other more than €4,000.

The court was told the animals had insufficient feed and water, and lacked shelter.

Michael Carthy, with an address of Mallardstown, Callan, Co Kilkenny, was charged with six counts of neglect and one count of failing to protect animals.

William Carthy, his son, of the same address, was charged with four counts of neglect and three counts of failing to protect animals.

Thomas Carthy, son of Michael, was charged with one count of obstruction under the Animal Welfare Act; four counts of neglect and three counts of failing to protect an animal.

Evidence
Garda Nora Cuddy gave evidence at the initial hearing of the case, in July 2023, that a joint operation was held to intervene at the family home, at Mallardstown, Callan.

Involved were gardaí, Kilkenny County Council, KSPCA, a veterinary practice, Carlow Dog Rescue and My Lovely Horse Rescue.

The home was on a two-acre site, which the Carthy family had rented from Kilkenny County Council.

Michael Carthy was the father of the family, Thomas was 17 at the time and living in the family home, and William was living in a mobile home on the land with his wife and children.

Under the terms of the lease on the property the Carthys were permitted to keep no more than four dogs and three horses.
The court was told that there was such a number of female dogs on the premises there were regulations to be complied with, but this was not done.

The animals were found on land to the back of the house that had no grass and in some areas was deep with mud.

On arrival of the gardaí and others Thomas Carthy ran from the house with two dogs. They were not among those later seized and it was for this act that he was charged with obstruction of an authorised officer, under the Animal Welfare Act.

Judge Dara Hayes described, in general terms, the “poor conditions” in which the animals were found - there was no shelter, the rugs on the horses were soaking, there was insufficient feed, fences showed signs of being chewed, indicating boredom, and when water was poured in a trough the horses immediately drank it, indicating they had insufficient drinking water.
The area was muddy and the horses were standing in manure.

The health of dogs is rated from one to five, with three to five being normal. In this case many of the dogs were rated one and a half to two.

The dogs appeared nervous of human contact. All were covered with urine and faeces. Food, which was fatty meat of little nutritional value, was left lying in urine and faeces.

The following is a summary of the condition in which each animal was found and the person charged with that animal’s welfare shortfalls. It is not an exhaustive list of all the health concerns per animal listed before the court.

Thomas Carthy
A horse with marks on its spine from sulky use. This horse was also badly shod.
A dog that was under weight and thin. It had overgrown nails and other issues that required surgery.
Two dogs kept in a horse box with just ‘dirty, green water’ available. They were in urine and faeces. The dogs looked like they were used for hunting and were in poor condition with parasites.
A dog with conjunctivitis and skin issues.
A horse that was thin with a wounded and swollen leg. It also had a ‘mud rash’ and ‘rein scald’.

William Carthy
A dog with signs of mange.
A dog lying in urine and faeces, rated at 1.5 on the scale. It had ‘bony prominences’.
A dog that had a bad wound over its hip. It had dermatitis and an infected wound.
Three dogs in bad housing - a container that was sized for one dog.
A dog living in faeces.

Michael Carthy
A dog kept in a cage with two others.
A chihuahua with a ‘luxated patella’ and untreated arthritis. This dog required surgery at a cost of more than €4,100.
A dog with an infected wound and with fleas.
A puppy with lesions and a rash.
A dog housed in a barrel with a chain around its neck. It had been given fatty meat that was sitting in urine.
A horse that was too young to be shod, but had been. It also had other health issues, including respiratory issues.
A horse that was in discomfort.

Overall there was ‘significant malnourishment’. The fatty meat the dogs had been given was not of nutritional value.
Many of the dogs also had conjunctivitis in their eyes.

Judge Dara Hayes said it was clear from the evidence and the photographs of the scene that the animals were “treated appallingly, in abject conditions.” He said the animals had received ‘little care’, not even basic needs were catered for, as seen in the lack of clean drinking water. There was a lack of shelter and no veterinary care, he added.
“This is not a case where they fell below standards, there was no care at all or no appropriate care,” the judge said. Click NEXT to continue reading the evidence and defence in this court case.