Ercolano – A hell of barking and decay hidden within the walls of an abandoned greenhouse. This is what Portici's Guardia di Finanza officers discovered during an inspection in the Ercolano area.
What was supposed to be agricultural land was actually home to a completely illegal small dog breeding farm, where 43 specimens of prized breeds lived in extremely suffering conditions.
The raid and the macabre discovery. What attracted the attention of the Guardia di Finanza was the incessant barking coming from the building. Once inside, the officers found a bleak scene: poodles, Maltese, and Spitz dogs crammed into tiny cages, surrounded by hazardous waste and feces.
Poodles, Maltese, and Spitz dogs crammed into tiny cages
The inspection, conducted with staff from ASL Napoli 3 Sud, confirmed the complete lack of hygiene and sanitation standards. The most shocking detail emerged during the waste inspection: the carcasses of two animals, stuffed in a bag, were found among the garbage.
A 50 euro business The manager of the facility, a 25-year-old originally from Portici, was found to have no authorization or documentation regarding the animals' origin.
Furthermore, many of the dogs lacked the mandatory microchip. According to investigators' estimates, the sale of these puppies on the black market would have fetched over €50.000, fueling a thriving underground trade in purebred animals.
The 25-year-old was charged at large with animal abandonment and abuse. The 43 dogs were seized and placed in judicial custody; the person responsible now has 30 days to comply with the local health authority's regulations and attempt to regularize a situation that, at present, remains seriously compromised from a criminal standpoint.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
Reading the article, I find the situation of the dogs very sad, but I don't understand how no one noticed this illegal breeding before. Let's hope the authorities take concrete measures to stop these situations.