The environmental department of the Guardia Civil, Seprona, has confiscated 55 dogs from a man in Don Benito (Badajoz).

The reason being that the man was allegedly breeding dogs for sale and on top of that the animals were in a bad state, so much so, that he has also been charged with cruelty to animals.

The man had even carried out ‘home surgery’ to remove ear tips and dock tails, operations on vocal cords and even poorly executed caesarian births.

It was at the end of November when Seprona received a complaint from a local animal-protection society, PACMA. After investigating the complaint for just over a month and armed with a search warrant they inspected the two dwellings in the centre of Don Benito on the 17th of December. They were accompanied by an official vet and a court representative.

They found over 50 dogs cooped up in the confined space of the dwellings: small cages containing up to five dogs in lamentable state of hygiene.

They also found microchips for dogs, quantities of veterinary medicine and drugs, vaccines and operating instruments which lead the police to believe that he had been carrying out surgical operations despite having no medical qualifications.

The accompanying vet carried out brief inspections of the animals and found that some of them suffered operations on their vocal cords to prevent them barking.

The dogs, after receiving medical treatment, have been given temporary homes by the PACMA

Finally, the man could be facing up to 18 months in prison, as well as fines.

(News: Don Benito, Badajoz, Extremadura)