Man jailed for three months for 'excessive cruelty' to 13 dogs in his care 

Some 13 dogs were kept in “putrid” conditions, many with no water, their coats matted in faeces.

Dogs were in dark, filthy, rodent-infested pens. Two dogs looked like they had been trying to dig themselves out of their pen which had no water.

Fedoryn, age 41, did not understand how to properly keep animals and was working long hours away from home, trying to earn money for his family and to send back to loved ones in his native Ukraine, his solicitor Denis Linehan said.

His actions had not been financially motivated and he had not been running a puppy farm, Mr Linehan said.

Fedoryn, who has been an Irish citizen since 2013, had pleaded guilty to nine of 14 offences, five of which were withdrawn.

All 14 charges under the Animal Health and Welfare Act were made on April 21, 2023.

“He has pleaded guilty practically to everything. The chances of reoffending I would suggest are minimal," Mr Linehan said.

“He has no previous convictions."

But Judge Roberts noted that the “harm and the injury done to these animals by your client was of a very, very significant level.” 

The idea that he takes ownership of the animals — 13 — and then abandons their care to make himself available for work, it shows that he has no respect for other sentient beings.

“He left them in a dreadful state.

“It was excessive cruelty," Judge Roberts said.

The probation service had found that he did not appreciate the seriousness of his crimes and minimised the impact of his offending, Judge Roberts said.

Although he had been ordered not to keep any animals when he was last in court, ISPCA inspector Caroline Faherty had visited the property on two occasions since and found multiple cats there, the court heard.

Judge Roberts fined him €500 as the penalty on one charge. He sentenced him to one month in prison on the second charge; two months in prison on two charges; three months in prison on three charges; and five months in prison with two months suspended for one year on two charges.

The sentences are to run concurrently, meaning he will serve three months in jail. He is to engage with the probation service on his release.

He was also disqualified from owning domestic or commercial animals for 15 years.

“If he is found to have one little cat or one little mouse" he’ll be in breach of his bail conditions, Judge Roberts warned.

He is also to pay veterinary and kennel costs of €16,450.30 to the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and €3,000 in the State’s legal fees.

In total, Fedoryn, who the court heard earns €600 per week, was ordered to pay €19,950.30 between the fine and fees.

Earlier hearing

The court previously heard that conditions were so bad for animals at his premises that experienced ISPCA inspector Caroline Faherty became emotional when describing the case in Mallow District Court.

Ms Faherty had to break padlocks to get into one shed. The smell was so putrid that she repeatedly retched, and there was so much faeces and sewerage she had to change into oilskins and rubber boots to inspect it.

“I was horrified at the state of the poor dogs in there,” Ms Faherty said.

I made the decision I had to seize the dogs and puppies as they were in danger.

The dogs were all “extremely nervous” and were very difficult to remove, she said.

Hens were also being kept there with no bedding, and rats were clearly living in the sheds — having burrowed through piles of rubbish.

Although food and bedding was on site, it had not been made accessible to the animals.

Sewers and drains were overflowing with sewage and water, Ms Faherty said.

One dog, who was lactating and therefore needed extra liquids, was so thirsty that when Ms Faherty gave her water she drank so much that the water had to be removed temporarily out of fear for the dog's welfare.

Although one German Shepherd and her pups were not in a terrible condition, juvenile dogs — which perhaps were puppies that did not sell — were emaciated with no muscle mass.

Feral young dogs could not walk across uneven ground because their limbs were so damaged, the court heard. Video showed dogs whimpering in filthy, dark conditions, surrounded by piles of excrement.

More than €16,450 was spent trying to rehabilitate the animals, with care, intensive nutrition, physiotherapy, and major veterinary interventions. However, despite best efforts to save the dogs, four had to be euthanised.

Three juvenile collies were so traumatised weeks after they were rescued they had to be put down because no one could get near them, Ms Faherty said.

A young German Shepherd’s limbs were so deformed he had to be put down as he could not bear the weight when he grew.