In Scherpenheuvel-Zichem, Belgium, 24 dogs were seized on Tuesday that were living in poor conditions. They are owned by a controversial dog breeder from Deurne. He is no longer allowed to keep dogs in his own country.
The man was given a nine-month prison sentence last month for animal abuse, but he appealed and has been free until then. He has moved to Belgium, according to animal rights organization House of Animals.
“We knew that he also had dogs there. Because we suspected that they came from the Netherlands and had no vaccination against rabies, we called the police,” says Karen Soeters of animal rights organization House of Animals, who has been fighting the Deurne dog breeder for some time. .
Officers, a veterinarian and animal inspection staff found a total of 24 dogs on the property. “12 chow chows and 12 pomeranians. The breeder had tried to hide them in the attic, in a car and in a corn field. Several of the dogs were pregnant.”
Need medical attention
The animals were taken to the De Zorghoeve animal shelter, where they are cared for and receive medical help. “Some of the animals had something wrong, for example one had a prolapse,” says owner Iris Cornelis of the shelter.
The dogs are not yet available for adoption. “Under Belgian law, an investigation first takes place, which can take a few months. Sometimes the dogs have to be returned to the owner, for example because the report concerned a dispute with neighbors. Only if we have permission from the authorities can we offer them for adoption. “, Cornelis explains.
The dog breeder’s lawyer could not be reached for a response.
In this video you can see under what conditions the dogs were kept in Deurne: