A dog breeder has been sentenced to three months in jail, ordered to pay almost €20,000 in costs and fines, and banned from keeping any animals for 15 years after a judge described his lack of care for his dogs as “absolutely appalling”.
Vasyl Fedoryn (41), a Ukrainian with Irish citizenship, of Ballypierce, Charleville, Co Cork, pleaded guilty earlier this year at Mallow District Court to nine breaches of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 in relation to dogs he was breeding at his home on April 21st, 2023.
ISPCA animal welfare inspector Caroline Faherty previously told the court that dogs she found in two sheds on Fedoryn’s property were living in the worst conditions she had ever encountered. She said the animals were kept in the dark with no bedding and were forced to lay in their own faeces.
Ms Faherty said she found a German Shepherd bitch and four pups in one shed where they had no water. When she filled a bowl with water, she said the bitch started gulping the water down at such a rate she had to remove the bowl in case the dog became ill.
She found three German Shepherd pups and five Collie pups in another shed with no light, no bedding, and with their coats matted from lying in their own excrement. She said a lack of stimulation had resulted in the Collies being so nervous that they were feral and tried to bite her.
Judge Colm Roberts had previously sought a probation report on the accused and warned him he may still be facing jail over his treatment of the dogs.
He was told on Tuesday that Fedoryn had breached an undertaking to the court not to keep any animals on his property.
Meg Burke BL, for the Department of Agriculture, said a probation report on Fedoryn was “somewhat concerning” as it revealed he had sought to minimise the harm he had done to the dogs and had very little insight into his offending.
While the report found Fedoryn was at a low risk of reoffending, she said the department took a different view as Ms Faherty had twice visited the defendant’s home and found he was still keeping cats – in breach of the undertaking he gave not to keep any animals.
She said the legislation provided for fines up to €5,000 and/or six months in jail, while Section 58 of the Animal Welfare Act 2013 provided for a disqualification from owning or possessing animals for life.
Defence solicitor Denis Linehan conceded that his client had breached the undertaking sought by the court not to keep any animals. He said this was due to a misinterpretation when the undertaking was translated for him and he had since disposed of the cats and would not keep animals again.
He pleaded for leniency on the basis that his client had pleaded guilty and had no previous convictions. He said the offending did not stem from any deliberate action on his part, but rather from the fact that Fedoryn was working long hours with a local plant hire firm.
Judge Roberts acknowledged Fedoryn had no previous convictions but said the level of cruelty to the animals was significant and that he was worried by the accused’s lack of insight into his offending.
“His neglect of these animals was absolutely appalling – he seems to have no regard for other sentient beings,” he said.
He sentenced Fedoryn to five months in jail with two months suspended, fined him €500, ordered him to pay €16,450 rehoming costs for the animals to the ISPCA and legal costs of €3,000 to the department. He also disqualified Fedoryn from owning or keeping any animal for 15 years.
