This Tuesday, the fourth chamber of the administrative court of appeal of Bordeaux ruled on the situation of a kennel in Dordogne, after a seizure of the One Voice association, demanding the removal of hunting dogs that she considers to be mistreated. The association is dissatisfied with the handling of the file by the prefecture of Dordogne, which is why it contacted the administrative court and then the administrative court of appeal of Bordeaux.
But the administrative court of appeal of Bordeaux recalls, in a press release, that following the administrative tribunal, “it is only up to the judicial jurisdiction to assess the legality of the refusal of the prefectural authority to proceed with the removal of detained animals with a view to their placement in a different location, these measures not being detachable from criminal proceedings”. It also rejects the request for closure of the breeding concerned “based on the sufficiency of the measures implemented by the prefect of Dordogne to supervise and control the activity carried out”, specifies the press release.
Ten inspections since 2020
The administrative court of appeal considers that the prefecture is playing its role in this matter, recalling that ten inspections have taken place since 2020 and that there has been no finding of mistreatment within the kennel. Repeated interventions made it possible to reduce the number of adult dogs, from 90 in July 2019 to 48 in September 2020. In March 2019, the animal protection association One Voice filed a complaint against the operator of a kennel and the first check showed an occupancy rate twice as high as the legal threshold, 90 instead of 45.
The prefect, by an order of January 21, 2020, “ [avait] pronounced against the operator a daily penalty of 20 euros, liquidated per quarter, until satisfaction of the reduction of the pack reduced to 45 dogs over 4 months old”, underlines the administrative court of appeal. On March 2, 2020, the prefect called him to order again on this point, ordering him in particular to better control the reproduction of canines.