Barbara Glover
Published on stuff.co.nz on 13 July 2022
Auckland puppy breeders sentenced to supervision for neglecting dogs
Two Auckland puppy breeders have been sentenced to supervision and community work after being found guilty of neglecting their dogs, narrowly escaping jail.
The mother-daughter duo still deny any wrongdoing, claiming it was a conspiracy by the SPCA to take their best breeding stock.
Barbara Glover, 83, and daughter Janine Wallace, 63, were found guilty on 32 of 36 charges which included failing to alleviate the pain or distress of an animal, and failing to meet animals’ physical, health and behavioural needs.
Glover and Wallace were known as top german shepherd breeders and ran Volkerson Kennels, which was established in 1962.
They were charged after SPCA inspectors, tipped off by a member of the public in 2017, found german shepherds in cages with their own faeces and puppies living in dirty conditions at the duo’s farm in Mangatangi.
On Wednesday at Manukau District Court, Judge Karen Grau sentenced Wallace to 12 months of intensive supervision and 300 hours of community work. Glover was sentenced to nine months of supervision.
They were also told to pay $40,000 in court costs and were disqualified from owning dogs for nine years.
On Wednesday, prosecutor Gareth Kayes said the defendants still did not accept any wrongdoing and the risk of them reoffending was high.
The court heard there were still about 30 dogs on the property.
But Wallace’s lawyer, Dan Gardiner, said the situation was not as it seemed and 12 dogs were owned by a friend.
Glover’s lawyer said the case had been a “massive fall from grace” for his client, an animal lover.
But the judge said the dogs were hidden away from the SPCA and there was a clear financial motive to the offending.
During the pair’s trial, SPCA inspector Kevin Plowright said he found three puppies tethered with choke chains – which is forbidden under the Animal Welfare Act.
Another two dogs were in a small cage, skidding around in their own faeces and urine, Plowright said.
Another dog was found tethered to a tree, while 6-week old puppies were found in a makeshift pen without water, the court heard.
Inside another shed, inspectors found 10 puppies living, sleeping and defecating in the same area, Plowright said.
In all, there were 32 adult dogs and 31 puppies that were living with inadequate shelter and in dirty conditions, he said.
Seven months later, the SPCA received another tip-off about “distressed” dogs barking in a bush area.
Six dogs were found tethered to trees on a bank, without shelter. Four of the dogs appeared thirsty with no water with all, Plowright said.
When Wallace gave evidence in her own defence, she told the court the dogs were well cared for and had adequate food, water and shelter.
But Judge Grau said the SPCA’s concerns about the kennels were well-founded.
“It was poorly run and there were far too many dogs than could be cared for adequately.”
An SPCA inspector of 12 years said the case was the most challenging and complex case of its kind.
“The very first visit, it was quite overwhelming. There were over 63 dogs and puppies on a farm with no proper facilities,” Lori Davis said.
Dogs were found in sheep-shearing sheds, deer sheds and wendy houses, and the smell was horrific, Davis said.
“A lot of them were living in their own faeces and urine. They were poo-skating and had matted fur.”
Davis said the SPCA would find forever homes for a number of the dogs.
SPCA chief executive Andrea Midgen said it was one of the “most horrendous cases” of neglect by breeders inspectors had seen.
“The conditions these animals were kept in were absolutely appalling.”
One of the dogs, found tangled in her tether inside a cage with no water, had to be euthanised as she was in so much pain.
“This was a heart-breaking decision and shows just how severely neglected some of these animals were,” Midgen said.