Anne Glover pictured leaving the Manukau District Court after being charged with animal welfare violations. Photo / Jason Oxenham
WARNING: This story contains graphic descriptions of sick and neglected animals.
Despite a puppy dying in her care and three later being put down due to neglect, a German shepherd breeder is still allowed to own up to 10 dogs, plus one puppy litter.
During a surprise inspection in 2023, Anne Glover was found with seven sick and neglected dogs at her rural property – one of which was already dead.
Her mother and sister, disgraced dog breeders Barbara Glover and Janine Wallace, were visited by the SPCA at the same Pōkeno farmstead, which used to be the award-winning Volkerson Kennels, in 2017 and 2018.
The High Court at Auckland ultimately held up a nine-year animal ownership ban against the pair in 2023, just weeks before another visit.
When inspectors returned to the address that year and found the sick dogs, Glover insisted all the German shepherds on the property belonged to her but said she didn’t know their names or medical history, court documents said.
As a result of what the SPCA discovered, Glover faced criminal charges.
Last month in the Manukau District Court, she was convicted on two representative charges of failing to care for the animals and disqualified from owning dogs for four years.
However the Crown, on behalf of the SPCA, agreed to an exemption that meant the 57-year-old could continue to own no more than 10 dogs and one litter of puppies during the disqualification.
In a statement, the SPCA told NZME it was satisfied Glover would be able to better care for a fraction of the more than 40 dogs she had in her care.
The court heard that on April 20, 2023, six SPCA inspectors and two police officers visited Glover’s Pōkeno home, where she was busy hosing out kennels.
The inspectors found two puppies, about 7 weeks old, inside a pet carrier and sitting on a quad bike parked in the sun.
There was no water in the puppies’ container, which was covered with a blanket, and the animals appeared weak, with their heads down.
Inside a garage on the property, the inspectors discovered two more puppies, one living inside a crate and the other dead on a towel.
Despite access to water and food inside the crate, the living puppy appeared quiet, lethargic, and was slumped with its head down, the Crown summary of facts stated.
In a paddock at the property, an adult German shepherd was on a chain leash and had access to water and inadequate shade under a tree.
The dog was tied up while Glover was cleaning out the kennels, and had a slight head tilt and discharge coming from its left ear.
There were 23 more dogs in 18 kennels, two of which the lead inspector assessed as being emaciated.
When asked why the dogs were underweight, Glover claimed they “ran a lot and burned off a lot of energy”.
The six dogs that appeared sick or malnourished were taken into the SPCA’s care to receive treatment.
One of the puppies tested positive for canine parvovirus, which the summary described as a highly contagious disease requiring round-the-clock care.
Symptoms include severe vomiting, lethargy and bloody diarrhoea, with animals usually dying after few days due to dehydration.
There is treatment available for the disease but it can be “extremely expensive”, the summary said.
Two other puppies, including the surviving puppy in the crate, also showed symptoms of the virus, despite testing negative.
Because the SPCA Māngere centre did not have the space to isolate the three sick dogs, they were put down.
The chained-up German shepherd was found to have an ear infection, which was treated, and the other emaciated dogs were fed and brought up to good health.
In court, Judge Grant Fraser said that although he found it “completely contradictory”, he agreed to uphold the Crown and defence’s “compromise” that Glover still be allowed to own 10 dogs.
Her lawyer Dan Gardiner said the woman had been the victim of a “serious” home invasion in the past, and suffered from hearing loss, and therefore needed guard dogs.
The Crown sought reparation of $12,190 to repay the SPCA for the veterinary expenses.
Judge Fraser said he understood if she needed the dogs for her “safety”, but without the pet expense, Glover, who was on a sickness benefit, would be in a better position to repay the SPCA.
Glover had 40 to 50 dogs at her property, which was far too many for her to care for, Crown prosecutor Kim McCoy said.
The agreed reduced amount would give the woman a chance to take care of the animals, he explained.
The Crown’s comments echoed what SPCA investigations specialist Sue Baudet later told NZME.
She said the SPCA was satisfied with the limit of 10 dogs and one puppy litter, as its main concern had been her inability to care for the multiple dogs on the property.
They considered the limit was enough to reduce the risk of any further issues.
This case reinforced the need for stronger regulation of breeders and that they be held to account when their care was not up to standard, Baudet submitted.
Gardiner made a bid for Glover to be discharged without conviction.
At Glover’s age, a conviction would deter employers from hiring her if she chose to return to the workforce, Gardiner submitted.
His client also valued her reputation “in and outside her farming community” and wished to preserve it.
In the dock, Glover wore a face mask and a large curly wig that fell over her eyes, obscuring her identity.
“I can’t see her through that wig,” the judge commented.
Judge Fraser declined the application for a discharge without conviction, saying there was no evidence Glover planned to return to work.
The judge sentenced her to 150 hours of community work and disqualified her from owning animals for four years, with the agreed exemption.
He also allowed three months for Glover to reduce the number of dogs in her care to below 10.
She was ordered to repay the vet fees to the SPCA in weekly instalments.
Although the Crown classified the offending as moderate, the judge noted that a puppy died in Glover’s care and three others were later euthanised.
“There was somewhat prolonged suffering,” the judge said.
Ella Scott-Fleming has been a journalist for three years and previously worked at the Otago Daily Times, Gore Ensign and Metro Magazine. She has an interest in court and general reporting. She’s currently based in Auckland covering justice related stories.