A resident has been banned from owning a dog for a decade after 82 pooches were rescued in what a judge described as a ‘heart-wrenching’ case.
The dogs were seized from the home in Perth’s east in October 2022 following an investigation by the City of Swan Council.
The council received complaints about the number of dogs that were being kept at the property amid concerns for their welfare.
The resident fronted Midland Magistrates Court in June on charges of keeping the dogs at the property, the West Australian reported.
The offence relates to the registration and keeping of excess dogs under The Planning and Development Act 2005 and The Dog Act 1976.
The resident was ordered to pay $95,000 in fines in addition to being prohibited from owning a dog for 10 years.
The magistrate said the case was ‘heart-wrenching’, while the City of Swan Mayor Tanya Richardson said the incident was ‘confronting’ for council staff.
Ms Richardson said she hoped the court’s ruling would stop people from committing similar offences.
The resident was banned from owning a dog for 10 years and was ordered to pay $95,000 after concerns were raised over the welfare of the pooches (pictured, Wally the kelpie)
‘This stands as a deterrent for others, and it also validates the thorough investigation and seizure process undertaken by our staff,’ Mayor Richardson said.
‘This was a confronting case for our staff and I’m particularly happy to know that 81 of these dogs were able to be rehomed.’
The council also imposed $80,000 worth of penalties for keeping the dogs at the property.
The dogs that were rescued by the council and RSPCA WA were treated and have since been rehomed as part of the council’s animal management facility.
Wally the kelpie, who was among the dogs rescued by the RSPCA, needed to have his leg amputated.
An RSPCA spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia Wally had ‘high medical needs’ and received vet treatment before he was adopted in March 2023.
RSPCA WA rehomed 7,669 dogs between 2022 to 2023.
The latest case comes after the WA government passed The Dog Amendment (Stop Puppy) Farming Act in 2021.
The resident fronted Midland Magistrates Court in June (pictured) on charges of keeping over 80 dogs at the property
The law aims to better regulate the breeding of dogs in the state and will give local councils more power to deal with irresponsible dog breeders.
Mayor Richardson said the council is looking forward to the new laws being implemented.
‘If anyone is aware of activity involving dogs which they believe might be unauthorised, we encourage them to contact the City so we can look into it,’ she said.
The state government also gave IT services company Seisma Group a $9.8million contract to create a registration system for cats and dogs in WA.
The new system is expected to be fully set up by 2025.
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