Pyramid Hill breeder Dean Peace, and his parents John and Phyllis Peace, had 235 dogs on their farm when it was raided by the RSPCA, Loddon Shire Council and police in 2013.
They found dogs living in wire cages filled with their own excrement, their hair matted with faeces and urine as the stench of ammonia filled the air.
Poodles, beagles, spaniels and golden retrievers were living in conditions described as “rancid”, “putrid” and a “cesspool”, RSPCA prosecutor Trish Riddell told Kerang Magistrates’ Court.
The Peace family sold 570 puppies for more than $250,000 to pet shops in Richmond and Maribyrnong between July 2011 and December 2013.
The dogs were kept in wire cages and in one shed, Ms Riddell said: “There was no place for the dogs to go to escape their own waste.”
Vet checks revealed dogs were underweight and malnourished and suffered from ear infections, dental diseases, heart murmurs, hernias and skin conditions.
A 5-year-old poodle’s entire coat was matted with faeces and it couldn’t be handled without sedation because it was “terrified of people”, Ms Riddell said.
The case against the Peace family was also the first time the RSPCA successfully prosecuted someone for failing to provide adequate socialisation and enrichment to animals.
There were no toys at the property, the dogs were given nowhere to play and they were never walked or exercised.
Many dogs had insufficient food, which was found scattered on the floor, and water bowls were rusted and filled with algae.
RSPCA inspectorate manager Allie Jalbert led the raids on the property and said it was “worse than anything I had imagined”.
She said many of the dogs feared human contact and had to be sedated to receive emergency vet care.
There were also two charges of aggravated cruelty relating to two four-week-old poodles.
One pup’s tail had been severed and was covered in faeces and the other pup had to be euthanised after suffering an infected tail base and a prolapsed rectum.
Similarly horrific conditions were uncovered in several further raids on the Pyramid Hill farm during 2014.
The Peace family also tried to hide dozens of dogs in unregistered cages on a neighbour’s property.
Dean Peace, 46, pleaded guilty to 79 cruelty offences, and the family’s company also accepted another 77 charges.
His parents John Peace, 75, and Phyllis Peace, 74, both pleaded guilty to 42 charges.
John and Dean Peace also pleaded guilty to separate charges brought by Loddon Shire Council.
All the dogs have since been surrendered to the RSPCA, with the ownership of another 101 dogs handed over on Thursday.
Ms Jalbert said many dogs had been rehomed after months of expensive vet care and behavioural therapy.
Jason Gullaci, for the Peace family, said they had been “incapable” of running a breeding business and had their “head in the sand”.
Mr Gullaci said Dean was nearly killed in car accidents in 1998 and 2007 but his parents chose to keep the business alive because it brought him “great joy”.
Mr Gullaci said Mr Peace, who started breeding dogs in 1996, was told by doctors he would be “unemployable” elsewhere.
“The business is now totally gone. It’s closed,” Mr Gullaci said.
The case will return to Bendigo Magistrates’ Court in August.
(Herald Sun - May 28, 2015)
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