Dog breeder gets suspended sentence in follow-up to dogfighting case

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A couple was convicted of maltreatment of dogs by the Lohja District Court on Thursday. The sentences were passed on animal cruelty and other offences.
      The Finnish police started to investigate the kennel owner couple’s doings after the revelations made by a BBC Panorama documentary that explored illegal dog fighting.
      The kennel owner received a suspended custodial sentence and community service duties, while his female partner was fined.
     
In the court’s view the couple violated the law on protection of animals for example by keeping American pit bull terriers tied up with chains that were far too heavy considering the weight of the animals. Furthermore, the couple kept dogs less than a year old permanently chained.
      The kennel had continuously in excess of 40 dogs. More than 20 of them had permanent skin changes caused by the continuous rubbing of the collar. One in three dogs had scars from fights, and the scars on one dog indicated that it had been in a serious fight.
      The court also saw that the owners had partially neglected the dogs’ need for daily exercise. Also, they had sold one of the dogs even though they knew that it would probably be used in dogfights.
     
The court considered keeping a dog in an area filled with excrement a protection of animals violation.
      The prosecutor demanded the couple be sanctioned for allowing the dogs to practice fighting amongst themselves, and for purposefully training the dogs to fight.
      The court, however, did not find evidence to support such accusations.
     
The district court passed a suspended custodial sentence of a year and two months on the man, plus 50 hours of community service. The sentence was passed on grounds of an aggravated book-keeping violation, an aggravated tax offence, an animal protection violation, protection of animals misdemeanours, falsification of documents, and a minor firearms offence. The economic mess-up and falsification were connected with the kennel’s financial affairs and dealing in dogs.
      The man only admitted to the minor firearms offence.
      The woman’s EUR 600 fine came from an animal protection offence, a protection of animals misdemeanour, and falsification of documents. She denied all the charges.
     
Earlier this year, three men responsible for organising dogfights in Ypäjä, Finland, received custodial sentences.
      A man born in 1980 was given a two-month custodial sentence, and two other men, born in 1976 and 1962, were both given six-month suspended sentences.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Police now suspect ten of involvement in illegal dog fights (31.8.2007)
  Four people charged with organising dogfighting in Finland (18.12.2007)
  Prison sentences for three over dogfighting case (21.2.2008)

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