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CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #15885 Rating: 3.0 out of 5
Nearly 100 dogs abandoned
Northamptonshire, SC (UK)Incident Date: Saturday, Nov 29, 2008
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 1 files available
Defendant/Suspect: Mary Collis
A breeder who abandoned nearly 100 St Bernard dogs in poor conditions while she went on holiday was jailed yesterday for 18 weeks for animal cruelty offences.
Mary Collis, 51, struggled to feed and care for them after she was declared bankrupt but continued to keep them at kennels in Northamptonshire. The conditions came to light when members of the public broke in last November after Collis abandoned the Wardana Kennels to holiday in Tenerife.
The St Bernards were found covered in faeces and urine, without food or water, many with matted fur and eye problems.
Collis, now of Wakefield, Yorkshire, admitted seven counts of causing unnecessary suffering to 85 dogs and one count of failing to meet the welfare needs of 14 dogs. She was jailed for 18 weeks at Wellingborough Magistrates Court and banned from keeping animals for 10 years.
David Nolan contacted the RSPCA after breaking into the kennels when he became concerned about his mother’s dog, boarded there. The court heard 99 dogs were abandoned. One was put to sleep on November 29 when they were found. Another died the next day and the court heard 14 dogs had died since. The remaining 83 have since been found new homes. The court heard Collis arranged for a friend to visit the kennels on a specific date -- but only to board two more dogs.
Defence solicitor Ben Brown said Collis, who bred St Bernards for 30 years, had once been well respected in dog breeding circles. References
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