43 chihuahua dogs were rescued from an apartment in Ashdod and transferred to a protected facility

In a long and reasoned decision, he refusedAGod Senior Judge Rebecca Schwartz the appeal of the city resident BThe Peace Court in Ashdod, And stated that the municipality of Ashdod, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, acted correctly when they removed from the resident’s custody no less than 43 dogs, which she kept in her home – in improper conditions and in violation of the Animal Cruelty Law.

The story begins with Moked complaints about a resident who keeps many dogs in her home, in poor conditions and while disturbing all the neighbors and the living environment there. According to the testimony of the veterinarians who arrived at the scene, “the living conditions of the dogs alone amounted to abuse of the dogs in a manner contrary to the Animal Cruelty Law (ZBAH)”, which forced the authority to request an entry order and the rescue of the dogs into a protected facility. The court was also told that according to the evidence, suspicion arises It is likely that the applicant’s apartment was an unauthorized facility for the confinement of Chihuahua dogs for trade purposes.

The municipality in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture tried to rescue the dogs (on 11/21/23), but the resident refused to cooperate and prevented them, despite the court order. The same was the case the second time (on 12/12/23), but this time the order was carried out and no less than 43 chihuahua dogs were found in the resident’s house. From the opinion of the sanitation worker who accompanied the inspectors, it appears that “the apartment where the dogs were kept constitutes a sanitary hazard that endangers the residents of the building in general and the residents of the apartment in particular.”

The resident applied to the court for an order to return her dogs to her, but the court rejected her request. At the conclusion of the hearing, the court stated: “..the applicant Kept the dogs in harsh conditions, did not give them food according to their age and needs, did not give them proper care required by their age and health condition, was indifferent to the dogs’ needs and the conditions in which the dogs were and their health condition as found when they were captured, shows that they experienced torture, neglect and abuse. The dogs were caused unjustified suffering and torment when they were in the applicant’s apartment.” The court also brought the supervisor’s position, according to which: “Throughout this time the resident did not cooperate and raised the animals in a life-threatening manner. Certainly there was neglect and abuse, and contrary to the law of tzer in Israel, and under the circumstances of the matter, the commissioner asked the court to issue an order prohibiting the applicant from keeping animals for a period to be determined.”

After the court determined in light of the evidence that it was a case of multiple offenses, it decided that the resident should not be trusted, neither in the present nor in the future, and “it seems that the resident and her children, if indeed they are the owners of some of the dogs, do not understand the special needs of the dogs, who have become helpless in the applicant’s apartment”. In doing so, the court rejected the resident’s request to return the dogs.

The municipality of Ashdod welcomes the court’s decision and notes with satisfaction the successful cooperation of the municipal veterinarian and the legal department with the Ministry of Agriculture.