A woman has been banned from owning dogs for a second time, after being convicted of animal cruelty.
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Kerrie Maree Fitzpatrick, of Lake Marmal, was banned from owning or being in charge of dogs for nine years in Bendigo Magistrates’ Court earlier this month.
She faced two animal cruelty charges related to 36 dogs housed on her property near Bridgewater in early 2015.
A monitoring order was also imposed on Fitzpatrick and RSPCA Victoria was awarded veterinary costs of $6630.
“These dogs were housed in appalling conditions with some dogs not even provided with water,” the RSPCA Victoria prosecutor, senior inspector Daniel Bode, said in a statement.
Mr Bode said RSPCA Victoria seized the 36 dogs and all but two were surrendered in 2015; the remaining two were surrendered to the RSPCA this month.
It was not the first time Fitzpatrick has faced court over her keeping of dogs.
Last year she was banned from owning dogs and operating a domestic animal business for 10 years, and fined $45,000, for contravening the Domestic Animals Act and the Planning and Environment Act.
Earlier this year Fitzpatrick unsuccessfully appealed the sentence, and was also ordered to pay more than $13,000 in court costs.
In May 2015, she pleaded guilty to 68 charges under the Domestic Animals Act from Loddon Shire Council, in relation to an illegal puppy farm she had operated east of Charlton.
In that instance she was fined $40,000.
At that time she said she planned to establish a second dog-breeding establishment near Bridgewater.
