2 July 2012

Veterinary Profession Welcomes Substantial Fine and Stringent Conditions in Animal Welfare Case

“It was reassuring to see the substantial fine and ban on owning cats and dogs rendered in the sentencing of a husband and wife team found guilty of animal cruelty late last week,” the Chief Executive of the NZ Veterinary Association (NZVA), Julie Hood said today.

In this case the husband and wife were found to have been breeding 161 cats and 87 dogs in “very horrible” conditions.

“Veterinarians have long argued that cruelty to animals must be punished severely in order to make sure people understand that such cruelty is unacceptable” she said.

“The $25,000 fine and the disqualification from owning dogs, cats, puppies and kittens for 20 years, signals a turning point in the perceptions by the courts.

“We just trust that the seriousness accorded to this appalling animal welfare breach by this particular court can be replicated across the country,” she said.

“Humane treatment of animals is a measure of how a society is viewed; therefore cruel treatment of animals must be seen as not only inhumane but totally unacceptable,” Julie Hood concluded.

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