A woman has been banned from keeping dogs for five years after cramming 90 into her home and restricting their access to food and water. Julie Elizabeth Newcombe, of Trefil Road, Tredegar, pleaded not guilty to one offence under the Animal Welfare Act and was found guilty at a trial at Newport Magistrates’ Court on Friday, September 15.
RSPCA inspectors found her house covered in faeces and urine – and have since rehomed 137 dogs including litters of puppies born in their care. The dogs involved were various breeds including dachshunds, labradors and French bulldogs, poodles and bichon frise.
An RSPCA spokesperson said: “The offence she was found guilty of was that she did not take such steps to ensure that the needs of 90 dogs were met to the extent required by good practice by one or a combination of the following – by accommodating the animals in a filthy environment contaminated by faeces and urine, by failing to provide an adequate quantity of fresh clean drinking water, by failing to accommodate the animals in accommodation of sufficient size, by failing to enable the dogs to express normal behaviour patterns, by failing to provide required veterinary treatment, by failing to provide adequate nutrition for the animals’ needs and by failing to provide adequate and clean bedding.”
