CONVICTED (2024) | dog collector Judy Patricia Doolan, born 10 May 1959, of 12 East Ride, Brent Knoll, HighbridgeTA9 4EA – kept 16 badly neglected Romanian rescue dogs in an unattended property. The 16 Romanian rescue dogs had reportedly been left unattended at Doolan’s home for several days while she lived elsewhere on a caravan site. Some were emaciated and had rotten teeth, dirty smelly coats, and overgrown nails. Several were found to be extremely fear-aggressive and unsafe to handle through their lack of socialisation. Nine dogs had to be put down due to their poor state of health. The court heard how in March 2023 RSPCA inspector Hayley Lawrence attended at Doolan’s home to investigate a report of concern about animals at the property. On looking through the letter box she could see that the property was very dirty inside with large amounts of faeces covering the floor area which she said “looked and smelled horrendous”. Inspector Lawrence had concerns for Doolan’s wellbeing as well as for the dogs so she called her colleagues, police and a vet to attend. Dogs could be seen at the window but no food or water could be seen. Police located Doolan at the caravan site and returned to the address where she brought the dogs out individually to the front door for them to be checked and recorded. On examination, many of the dogs were found to have severe matting – the matts on one dog were found to weigh 2.15kg. The vet describes observing that two rooms of the house had a large build up of faecal matter with the windows heavily soiled in faeces. Some of the dogs also had faecal soiling on their feet and coats. In mitigation, it was said Ms Doolan had rescued dogs from Romania and had got out of her depth and had struggled with personal difficulties throughout her life. Doolan plead guilty to two animal welfare offences. She had appealed against her sentence, which was originally imposed in October 2023. The surviving dogs have been cared for by RSPCA and are thriving. Speaking after the appeal hearing Inspector Lawrence said: “Our plea to all animal owners is to make sure they always receive care and treatment they need when they need it. “Animals are completely reliant on their owners to ensure their needs are met and they are kept safe and healthy. Owning an animal is a privilege – and ensuring appropriate care is a key part of the responsibility we have towards them.” Sentencing | fined £600. Ten-year ban on keeping dogs but may appeal after seven years. Somerset County Gazette Burnham-on-Sea.com| BristolLive