151 Dogs confiscated in Wallonia
151 dogs were confiscated yesterday in French-speaking Belgium, in the town of Remicourt. After years of complaints from local residents, but also from animal welfare organizations, the government has finally finally taken action. Carlo di Antonio, the Walloon minister of animal welfare, had the company closed. On 5 October last year, the owner, Bernard Brunelle (grandson of the original owner), was denied his recognition as a commercial breeder. Initially he had until November 3 to dismantle his company, but the bread breeder did not pay attention to that.
As early as 2008, animal welfare organization SRPA is resisting the "totally inadequate buildings" in which dozens if not hundreds of dogs are kept on the quay of Liège. Residents are awake from the howling and barking of the dogs. But little happens. Only 170 dogs are confiscated. In addition to dogs, illegal medicines and euthanasics are found. Subsequent inspections also do not lead to action, until finally in October 2017 the pleas from the Mayor of Remicourt to the Walloon animal minister penetrate. Because the breeder was certified, the local government could not start much, even though the situation became increasingly serious.
So the Chenil d'Aviculteur gets exactly thirty days to stop with the dogs, and immediately a sales ban. Everything has to be in order on 3 November. Just before that, the owner allows a reporter of a newspaper to show that he has made improvements and wants to apply again for recognition. This Thursday, during the visit of the places, we could establish that all dog boxes were "flattened", as required by law. "To ensure that they do not hurt each other, we have closed all walls or covered the walls with plates", Marcel shows. "The electricity has also been completely redesigned, puppies and their mothers are benefiting from heat lamps, and on the ground the straw is replaced every day, and in the same way we clean everything, including the aisles, every day ..." And in the just dried up space is clearly the smell of cleaning agents in the air. "writes the newspaper
Nevertheless, an online petition for closure of the kennel had already been signed more than 13,000 times.
The owners still have the idea that it will break loose, and the company will not be dismantled. Until yesterday, when the justice department clears the lot and takes 151 dogs. Due to non-compliance with the order for decommissioning. 20 Dogs remain - for the time being - in the breeding company. These would be the owner's own pets.
And so the owner is so furious that he is eventually beaten and removed. But the minister remains unrelenting and says that even the improvements are far from ideal. He actually does not want these kind of mass farms anymore.
The vet of the kennel does not understand anything. Opposite La Meuse veterinarian Jean Destexhe says "It is outrageous what happens here, go see, these dogs are well done, they have everything to eat what is needed, they are being treated and vaccinated, and you will see that they are supposedly so bad that they will soon end up on the sites of (race) associations! "
It is the first time that in Wallonia this kind of action is taken against a bread breeder.
source