Waterford man convicted of animal welfare offences against a German Shepherd

Some viewers may find the below images upsetting.

A Waterford man has been convicted of animal welfare offences against a white German shepherd dog found on his property in February last year. Tony Keohan with an address at 15 Richardson’s Meadow, Waterford City was fined €500 with six months to pay, under Section 11 (1) of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 (AHWA) whilst taking into consideration the other charge under Section 12 (1) (b). He was also ordered to pay €271.57 in veterinary costs. The ISCPA visited the property in February 2018 following a complaint from a member of the public. The inspector noticed a German Shepherd cross in poor condition but the owner was not home, so she left a notice for the owner to contact her. When the owner made contact, he signed the dog over into ISPCA care and the dog, later named sky, underwent a veterinary assessment. She had been suffering from an untreated skin parasite and was in very poor condition. Skye has since been successfully rehomed and is now in a much better condition. Inspector Alice Lacey said: “Despite Skye’s neglect, she turned out to be a wonderful dog. Skye was extremely nervous when brought into ISPCA care at first, as her confidence needed to be built back up. "It took Skye a number of months to get back to a healthy normal weight. It takes very little to provide an animal with basic needs, and Skye had suffered unnecessarily for a period of time.” The ISPCA issued a reminder to pet owners of their legal responsibilities under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 (AHWA) that there is no excuse for failing to provide basic levels of care for their pets.