“I’m definitely very happy with it.” Karen Soeters from House of Animals is very satisfied with the punishment that a dog breeder from Deurne received on Monday from the court in Zwolle. The man will go to prison for nine months and will not be allowed to keep animals for ten years.
House of Animals, an animal welfare organization, was one of the bodies that exposed years of abuse in Deurne. Animals lived in their own feces, were barely given anything to drink and were poorly cared for, the judge confirmed the testimonies.
“We do not want to tolerate these types of abuses in our country.”
“This statement is great for us, but,” Soeters adds, “also for the police, the animal police, the National Animal Protection Inspection Service and the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority. They have made enormous efforts in recent years. It is a step in the right direction that we do not want to tolerate these types of abuses in our country.”
The Public Prosecution Service had demanded a prison sentence of one year, in addition to a professional ban. The court finds nine months sufficient, albeit with the necessary conditions. For example, the man from Deurne must report to the probation service and undergo treatment. Soeters does not pay much attention to the difference between demand and statement: “Although as far as I am concerned, such a person cannot be detained long enough.”
“Animal abuse cannot be tackled hard enough.”
She thinks it is more important that the man, who also neglected animals outside Deurne, will no longer be allowed to keep dogs for the next ten years. “That is good for the dogs, but also for the police, who now have their hands free to check other breeders. I also see it as a signal that animal abuse cannot be tackled hard enough. Perpetrators often get off with community service.”
Soeters does not think that a court in our country has punished a dog breeder in this way before. “But in this case there is every reason for that. These types of people are ruthless and just want to get rich off the backs of animals. There must be a limit on this. And did you know that this man from Deurne advertised via Marktplaats last weekend? With cute pictures and beautiful words.”
Text continues below the Facebook post.
Waiting for privacy settings…
For the time being he will not succeed, because the breeder will go to jail, although Soeters takes into account that he will flee our country. It is not known whether detention will be suspended if he appeals. His lawyer was unavailable for comment.
“I eagerly await other lawsuits against bread breeders.”
The ruling of the court in Zwolle does not mean that quiet times are now coming for Karen Soeters. With her House of Animals, she continues to monitor the situation at, among others, the stubborn dog breeder in Eersel. The animal lover: “I am eagerly looking forward to the criminal case that will one day start against him.”
READ ALSO:
Dogs lie in their own poop and have no clean water: breeder’s jail
Dogs again at notorious dog breeder Eersel, municipality removes animals