This article is to respond and bring balance to the news item https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/127523234/top-auckland-puppy-breeders-on-trial-for-neglect-of-dogs-living-in-dirty-conditions
Barbara and Janine are before the court they had an excessive number of SPCA raids and their dogs were allegedly taken because they did not comply with the SPCA compliance directives under section 130 of the animal welfare act .
However instead of being charged with the appropriate offence of failing to comply ( if that was the case ) the Auckland SPCA officer chose to seize healthy dogs because in this opinion Barbara had too many dogs . ( that is not an offence under the animal welfare act )
In 2019 I had not met either lady and was approached by them , I was not going to do anything until I had been to the farm and had seen the dogs for myself , I was impressed and after hearing the interview of Janine By Kevin Plowright the inspector who had seized the animals I was convinced that these ladies needed help .
I found it strange that in this interview there was no reference to any alleged offences and I also questioned why the document which they were given when the dogs were seized made no refence to alleged offences .
It was only after this interview which I considered coercive and intent on surrender of the dogs that Plowright commenced prosecution action which included the use of search warrant which was one year out of date and or dubious origins .
I investigated and compiled a complaint for the police for the theft of dogs. But the court proceedings stalled, and we had to wait five years for their day in court .
Last year I became aware of the events in Australia https://www.malcolmrobertsqld.com.au/is-the-rspca-a-charity-or-a-dodgy-business/ published in June 2021 “Much of RSPCA’s revenue is gained from seizing animals from their owners under the rouse of falsely claiming that the animals are not being treated appropriately. A common feature of the RSPCA’s approach involves the RSPCA harassing owners who appear to have fewer means and lack the ability to challenge the RSPCA in court.”
This is very much what I believed had happened to Janine and Barbara. Volkerson kennels was home of many champion dogs and in 2017 Barbara was breeder of the year .
This was her downfall. She had many imported blood lines and I find it incredibly strange that the only dogs worth seizing were the imported blood lines . She faces many identical charges for other dogs which were not seized and strangely enough these are domestic blood lines and not the champions .
She and Janine face a plethora of charges, for which evidence must be produced in the court but which so far they have not seen in pre trial matters . It took a full 14 months before they were even charged and by then the dogs had been disposed of to the now dissolved Auckland SPCA .
Even more incredible they have been charged with several offences for having a dog which was ill and did not ensure that the animal received treatment to alleviate unnecessary pain or distress suffered by the animal. These dogs were so ill that when they were seized by the Auckland SPCA they were taken straight to the Papakura pound and left there for 2 full weeks before being examined by a vet .
Then there were 5 further dogs seized by inspector Plowright in 2019. These dogs were taken without documentation and were returned by then chief inspector Tracey Phillips . These dogs were sick when they were returned from the Auckland SPCA as evidenced by the animal welfare notices issued by the then inspector Mike Loulanting . Thes dogs had been in the “ care “ of the SPCA for nearly a year .
Then there was the bitch which whelped in the back of a van and her puppy died. There is incredible confusion about the number of puppies she had and these valuable dogs for which the SPCA obtained pedigree history were disposed of unlawfully and were never seen by their owners.( only dogs seized and subject to charges can be disposed of under section 136 ..these pups originally 20 in number from 2 bitches were born in captivity and have not been the subject of charges )
There is an assumption that the RNZSPCA is the same old society that was set up many years ago.
Over the years it has gained a reputation of being a trusted brand.
It is however very much like the hatchet I have in my garage it is 150 years old and has had four new handles and six new heads, but it is still the same old trusted Hatchet … or is it?
The RNZSPCA formed well over a century ago and has a new constitution new leadership structure and lacks the public oversight which it had just a few short years ago .
It is now a business run by a former Ernst and young accountant and not the volunteers of the past .
In 2017 The RNZSPCA established itself as one SPCA before that there had been many branches and member societies, each a separate legal entity . I was a member of the Hawkes Bay branch. Our membership was transferred to the RNZSPCA and former members have never seen a renewal .
The significance of this is that the power is now held by a few rather than by many .
This is a private law enforcement organisation with excessive public powers and even has the use of crown solicitors to defend their actions . Where is the transparency where is the accountability where is the integrity ?
We need a full investigation into the RNZSPCA urgently .
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