Top Auckland dog breeder banned from owning dogs for nine years

Janine Wallace and her mother, top Auckland dog breeder Barbara Glover, were banned from owning dogs for nine years in a case of neglect brought by the SPCA. Photo / Ellen Thompson

A top dog breeder and her daughter have been banned from owning dogs for nine years after they neglected the pedigree dogs and kept too many German Shepherds in "filth".

Barbara Glover was recognised as the country's top German Shepherd breeder, importing pedigree bloodlines and selling puppies online for thousands of dollars.

But in 2018 Volkerson Kennels owner Glover and her daughter Janine Wallace became the subject of one of the SPCA's biggest prosecutions after a raid on her property in South Auckland.

This morning the pair appeared at the Manukau District Court in front of Judge Karen Grau for sentencing.

Grau described the offending as a bad case of neglect and failing to care for animals.

"You still believe the SPCA is involved in some conspiracy against you.

"You never admitted the true amount of dogs, in fact, the number of dogs at your property is still changing," Grau said.

An angry Wallace shook her head.

Grau sentenced Wallace to 12 months of intensive supervision and 300 hours of community work. Glover was sentenced to nine months' supervision.

Both Glover and Wallace were disqualified from owning or exercising ownership of dogs for nine years.

More than 30 animals were taken into SPCA care as a result of the raid, with the animal welfare agency describing squalid conditions that included some animals reportedly living among old food scraps and urine-soaked newspaper.

After a three-week-long judge-alone trial in January, Glover and Wallace were found guilty of 32 violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

This included 26 counts each of failing to meet the physical, health and behavioural needs of an animal and six counts of failing to alleviate the pain or distress of an ill animal.

The prosecution said a disqualification order was essential.

"The defendants still do not accept any wrongdoing in their actions and their reoffending [risk] is high.

"A sentence of community work coupled off with supervision would be suitable."

A memorandum filed yesterday by prosecutor Luke Radich suggested there was a transfer of ownership of the dogs.

Wallace's lawyer, Dan Gardiner, told the court the situation wasn't as it seemed, and instead the dogs were simply swapped over to be registered in a sister's name.

"The dogs have not been transferred and hidden on other properties."

Barbara Glover, owner of Volkerson German Shepherd Kennels at Pokeno, has been banned from owning a dog for nine years. Photo / NZME

Gardiner, who told the court there was severe reputational damage to his client, argued a disqualification from ownership and being involved with the dogs was unnecessary.

"The pair built a Rolls Royce dog run. This clearly indicates the improvement and willingness they have."

Gardiner said the valuable animals seized and severe reputational damage to the breeder was enough of a punishment and disqualification shouldn't be ordered.

Glover's lawyer Jenna Philson spoke of the 83-year-old's age and how a community work order would be unfair to her.

"She is frail and her health is failing. She was renowned and had an outstanding reputation as a dog breeder for German Shepherds.

"It has hurt her heart and soul for the public to consider her as someone who would treat animals in an unfair way," Philson said.

Grau said it was obvious that the kennels were very poorly run, with far too many dogs living in filth.

"You suggested they had a rich life because they were on a rural property, but they were locked away and neglected."

Grau said a sentence of imprisonment was warranted, with a starting point of 12 months for Wallace and eight months for Glover.

The judge landed on supervision and the nine-year ownership ban.

She warned the 63-year-old Wallace that if she didn't comply she would be brought back before the court.

Grau ordered costs of $40,000 to be paid by the pair and gave them six weeks to remove the dogs from their property.