Peter Toland: Man found guilty in animal cruelty case

A man has been found guilty of animal cruelty after a dog he had neglected and beaten had to be put down.

The animal, called Luna, was found buried alive at Ballyarnett country park in Londonderry on 15 March 2023.

The dog, which was called Luna, was put down by a vet after being found in a park

The only options were that Peter Toland or someone else had done this, the judge at Londonderry Magistrates’ Court said.

Toland, 29, of Cornshell Fields in Derry, had denied causing unnecessary suffering to the dog.

Up to 30 animal rights activists protested outside Bishop Street Courthouse, before Toland was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to Luna and four further animal welfare charges relating to other animals.

Animal rights activists protest outside Bishop Street Courthouse where Peter Toland was found guilty

He was released on bail and will be sentenced on 11 December.

The court was told that the American bull terrier was so emaciated when it was found that a vet believed it had been suffering for months as such a degree of emaciation would have taken more than weeks.

A vet told the court she had examined the animal after it was found in March.

The dog was “exceptionally thin” and had bruising on its body, she said.

Its teeth were broken and the vet said it would take “a lot of force to break a canine tooth”.

Luna had to be put down and a post-mortem examination found that it weighed 19kg.

The recent injuries were believed to have been caused by “blunt force trauma caused by a wide object”.

Toland told police he had left his house during the afternoon and last saw the dog around 09:30.

‘Terrible owner’

When he returned, he went looking for the dog.

The court was told that three other dogs in Toland’s care were also neglected.

Defence counsel Eoghan Devlin described Toland as a “terrible owner of animals” and said he would probably be banned from owning animals for life.

He argued that there was no evidence that Toland had been the person who buried the dog.

District Judge Ted Magill said that for someone to bury an animal alive was “incomprehensible” and the only options were that Toland or someone else had done this.

The judge said it was obvious that the dog had suffered over “a prolonged period of time” and “that had to be laid at the door of the defendant”.

He found Toland guilty of all charges and put the case back until 11 December to allow for a pre-sentence report.

However, he warned Told that he could face a custodial sentence.

Regards Mark

Peter Toland: Man found guilty in animal cruelty case – BBC News

Good article with many issues to consider and debate about.

Read in full at  How the world might look if animals had legal rights (yahoo.com)

From the article:

“When we try to imagine a world with animal rights, it turns out not to be so difficult after all. The concepts, technologies, and mechanisms needed are already in place, we just need to be brave enough to use them”.

Regards Mark

Above – Bosnian Stray.

What a positive video;

regards Mark

Malaysia’s Wildlife Department has defended its use of puppies as live bait to capture black panthers spotted at a Malaysian village. An animal rights groups protested the method and appealed to the government to use other means.

The department resorted to using puppies after earlier attempts to lure the panthers with a goat failed. It is “standard procedure” to use live animals, Wildlife Department Director General Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim said in remarks published on Tuesday, noting that the puppies were not physically harmed in the process.

Continue reading at:

Animal rights groups slam Malaysia’s wildlife department for using puppies as bait to trap panthers (msn.com)

Regards Mark

Photos – Police of Catalonia.

More than 400 pets have been rescued from an illegal animal trade network in Spain.

Hundreds of animals, mostly dogs and cats, were recovered as part of an operation conducted by four police forces across Spain that first began in 2020.

In a video released by police in Catalonia, puppies of various “highly valued” breeds could be seen jumping around in crates as they were sent to undergo health inspections at the vets.

Continue reading:

More than 400 puppies and cats rescued after animal trafficking ring bust (msn.com)

Regards Mark

Photo – Act 4 Pets

18 October 2023

Norway’s Supreme Court handed down a final verdict that the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dog breed is too sick and inbred for breeding to continue. They also ruled that the breeding of English bulldogs must fit with new frameworks, with breeding falling outside such frameworks to be illegal.

Extreme breeding has become a major animal welfare concern, especially with the surge in popularity of brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs and other companion animals showing extreme features.

Selecting for specific physical traits (e.g. flat nose, round skull, skin folds, droopy eyes) and unrestrained inbreeding has led to hereditary disorders impacting both the physical and mental health of the animals. 

In Norway, Section 25 of the Animal Welfare Act (2009) clearly states that “breeding shall encourage characteristics resulting in robust animals that function well and avail of good health”. It goes on to specify that breeding cannot happen if offspring will likely have natural behaviour affected or if it could lead to ethical issues.

The Norwegian Society for the Protection of Animals sued the Kennel Club of Norway, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club and the English Bulldog Club, along with six individual breeders, claiming that the breeding of these specific breeds contravenes Section 25. 

The case was first brought to the Oslo District Court, then to the Oslo Court of Appeal and finally to the Supreme Court who concluded in an indisputable way that further breeding of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with the current genetic material is in violation of the Animal Welfare Act. 

Extreme breeding is a cause of unnecessary and widespread physical and mental suffering in dogs and many other animals. Norway’s verdict on unethical breeding will have major ripple effects in Europe. Eurogroup for Animals will continue working for EU-wide legislation stating that unethical breeding causing discomfort, pain and/or disease is illegal.

Don’t buy from breeders – adopt from a shelter !

Regards Mark