Puppy farmer jailed for animal cruelty

A 41-year-old Como man has been sentenced to an immediate term of nine months’ imprisonment for animal cruelty to dogs and puppies used in a large-scale breeding operation. He was convicted of 36 animal cruelty charges in July 2025.

In September this year he was also convicted of two counts of breaching court orders by selling a golden retriever puppy the day after he received a forfeiture order in August 2025, compelling him to hand over any animals he had to the RSPCA and prohibiting the transfer of ownership of any dogs. Today, he received a $5,000 fine for those offences.

The cruelty charges were brought after RSPCA WA inspectors discovered 105 dogs at a puppy farm the offender was operating in Canning Vale. Subsequent investigations revealed he bred at least 390 puppies between 2021 and 2025, with the RSPCA WA prosecutor submitting to the court that the offender could have potentially generated more than $1.17 million in puppy sales.

The Perth Magistrates Court heard RSPCA WA received a cruelty report from a City of Canning ranger in mid-December 2024 advising that a number of dogs were roaming outside a Canning Vale property, two of which had already been taken to a vet for urgent attention.

RSPCA WA inspectors attended the property where they found more than 100 dogs housed across multiple kennel blocks and enclosures. There were puppies and adult dogs, including groodles, golden retrievers, corgis, French bulldogs, cocker spaniels and other mixed breeds.

Many of the dogs had severely matted coats, untreated medical conditions and displayed fearful behaviour consistent with prolonged neglect. The offender admitted owning the dogs and acknowledged some required veterinary treatment but said he would not be taking them to a vet. He said he was treating an injury on one of the dogs with honey.

Over the following 10 days, RSPCA WA staff assessed, treated and progressively seized the dogs before removing the remaining animals on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. Many were in poor hygienic conditions, exhibited signs of distress, and required sedation before they could be safely transported.

Once in RSPCA WA’s care, it became clear many of the dogs were profoundly shut down and fearful of people, likely due to limited or no positive human interaction. They exhibited stressful behaviours including staring at kennel walls for hours, being unable to be handled and, in some cases, chewing the concrete walls of their kennels.

A report from an independent veterinary behaviour specialist said, “The level of fearful states in some of these dogs means that they are daily dealing with a level of fear that is unacceptable. It represents a state of intolerable suffering to feel this way.”

Physically, many of the dogs displayed conditions including severe matting, embedded grass seeds, skin lesions and abscesses, ruptured ear drums, dental disease, dehydration, and gastrointestinal illnesses.

In sentencing, Magistrate Sandra De Maio described the offender as a “devious and dishonest individual” whose litany of lies had “completely obliterated any credibility”. She said, “His story changes like he tides… I simply do not believe a word he says.”

“He left them to suffer in appalling conditions …he (was) uncaring of their welfare and indifferent to their pain… they suffered greatly for most of their lives.” She described his neglect as “abhorrent and undoubtedly cruel.”

The Magistrate echoed RSPCA’s inference that the offender took litters of puppies from the Canning Vale puppy farm to his Como residence when they were ready for sale “to hide the fact they came from a puppy farm.” She said, “The practice of puppy farming must be abolished.”

RSPCA WA Inspector Manager Kylie Green said the case was one of the worst examples of commercial scale neglect she had encountered.

“It was clear these dogs were viewed simply as breeding machines and products for sale, with no thought for their physical or psychological wellbeing,” she said.

“Our investigation ultimately revealed an operation that bred hundreds of puppies, while the dogs themselves were left to suffer.

“This case was both heartbreaking and infuriating. When animals are treated purely as commodities in the pursuit of profit, the consequences for their welfare can be devastating.”

Civil forfeiture of the dogs, including puppies born while in RSPCA WA’s care (117 dogs in total), was granted in April 2025. RSPCA WA thanks the large foster network that took care of these dogs for their immense patience and dedication in helping them learn to trust people again. Most foster carers chose to adopt their foster dog following forfeiture. Twenty-two dogs were unable to be saved from the cruelty they had endured and were humanely euthanised to end their suffering.

The offender was convicted under sections 19(1), 19(3)(b)(ii), 19(3)(d), 19(3)(h), and 55(4) of the Animal Welfare Act 2002. The maximum penalty for each charge of animal cruelty is a $50,000 fine and five years in prison. The maximum penalty for each of the breach offences is $20,000 and imprisonment for one year. He was ordered to pay $4,383 in legal costs.

The RSPCA relies on the community to report incidents of suspected cruelty and neglect. Report cruelty 24/7 on 1300 CRUELTY (1300 278 358) or at rspcawa.org.au.