Evil Dog Fighting Ring Exposed in BBC Documentary
The BBC Spotlight & Panorama documentaries reinforce the repeated warnings of the USPCA. The broadcaster is to be commended for the resources expended and risks taken to compile programmes that left viewers in no doubt about the barbarity of dog fighting.
"Cannonball", one of the Pitbulls featured in the documentary
The response has been incredible; the USPCA has been inundated with offers of support from members of the public and a wide range of political opinion. However, enforcing the 1991 Dangerous Dogs legislation in NI remains the responsibility of our local authorities and a proactive approach is needed on their part if this vile abuse of dumb animals is to be confronted.
The USPCA welcome the commitment of The First Minister and Taioseach in addressing an evil that knows no boundaries.
Stephen Philpott
Chief Executive,
USPCA
Read more about the Panorama expose by clicking the link below.
Panorama Dog Fighting
Several reports have been received of a bogus USPCA Welfare Inspector making house calls in West and South Belfast. The woman, who is not uniformed, carries a false USPCA identity card. She demands access to pets claiming neglect or cruelty has been reported.
If you receive a call and are in doubt about the credentials of the caller DO NOT accept these at face value. A genuine USPCA Welfare Inspector will gladly prove their identity on the doorstep.
Antrim Man banned from owning animals
An Antrim man has been fined £350 and banned from keeping animals for 12 months following the shocking discovery of a terribly malnourished Alsatian living in it's own filth.
The USPCA Welfare Officer attending the incident took these shocking photographs of the dog and the conditions in which it was forced to survive.
On detection the owner immediately conceded his guilt and surrendered the animal to the USPCA and this action would have been taken into account in determining the scale of punishment, a £350 fine and 12 months ban from keeping any animal.
"Incredibly the conditions in which the dog was being kept did not break the current law in Northern Ireland. Actual and provable suffering had to have taken place and, in this case, the physical condition of the animal speaks for itself. It is a major source of frustration that we are sometimes forced to walk away from apparently healthy animals being kept in unsatisfactory conditions. A revision of the Welfare Of Animals Act is ongoing and this will outlaw ‘the keeping of animals in conditions likely to cause suffering.’ This single change, amongst the many proposed, will greatly assist the USPCA to fulfil its key role ‘The Prevention of Cruelty & Relief of Suffering.’"
Stephen Philpott
