A WOMAN WHO kept 22 dogs in her home in “filthy, squalid conditions” with no food, water or anywhere to sleep has been disqualified from working with dogs for 10 years.

Rhona McGlynn (51) had seven dogs in her home being boarded for owners over Christmas, while others were being fostered for charities and three dogs were her own. She did not receive money for the fostered dogs, but a charity involved indicated she had declined food and assistance.

Some of the dogs were emaciated or suffering from muscle wastage, while gardaí could find no fresh drinking water in the house except for one bowl with blackish liquid in it. Many of the dogs were dehydrated, had long nails which showed they had not been walked and poor coats.

McGlynn claimed there was dog food in her car and garage but gardaí were unable to find it.

The dogs involved included greyhounds, huskies, terriers and a golden retriever among other breeds. They have all made a recovery, the court heard.

McGlynn told gardaí she had suffered a breakdown and had taken on too much as she was a “people pleaser”. Defence counsel submitted she had never intended to cause harm but became so unwell she was unable to ask for help.

McGlynn, of Sommerton House, Woodside Road, Dublin 18, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to causing unnecessary suffering to dogs at her home in January 2025. She has no previous convictions.

Sentencing her today, Judge Orla Crowe said the breach of trust in the case was “enormous”. She said the 22 dogs were “kept inside in filthy, squalid conditions, with urine, faeces and waste all over the floors and nowhere for them to lie down”.

McGlynn, who was being paid money to keep seven dogs for their owners, was living “in the same squalid conditions” due to a deterioration in her mental health, the judge noted. It begged the question why she kept taking the animals in, the judge said.

“This was not a couple of days; this was a situation that had deteriorated to a significant degree over a long period of time,” she said.

There is a “particular stigma attached to a conviction of this nature”, the judge said. She set a headline sentence of three years which she reduced to 18 months, taking mitigating factors into account including McGlynn’s guilty plea and personal circumstances.

She suspended the sentence in full on a number of conditions, including that McGlynn be disqualified from working with dogs and other animals for a period of 10 years and that she be disqualified from owning a dog or other animal for three years.

At a previous sentence hearing, Garda Adam Lally told Joe Mulrean BL, prosecuting, that the offending came to light when a woman arrived to collect her dog and her daughter’s dog after Christmas. McGlynn refused to return the dogs to her.

The owner made 22 calls to her and waited six hours before calling gardaí who recovered the dogs. Her dog was seen by her vet and had bite wounds, had lost weight and required antibiotics.

Gardaí found 22 dogs on the premises, with seven boarding, and the rest fostered or belonging to McGlynn. Most of the dogs were free roaming. She signed her own dogs over to the gardaí.

Gda Lally described how they were overwhelmed by the smell of ammonia upon opening the front door and found the floor entirely covered by faeces, rubbish and waste in black bags.

Dogs were roaming inside the house and there was evidence of doors scratched and furniture attacked by the animals. There was no indication any of the animals had been taken outside.

McGlynn was taken away by ambulance for medical treatment.

Three veterinary reports were handed into court. CCTV footage from the house was played in court. Drink bottles were evident on the floor of the bedroom.

The dogs were given water and consumed a lot, indicating to the gardaí they were dehydrated. Some of the dogs were unable to keep down food when they were fed and appeared emaciated.

Gda Lally agreed he could see from a cursory look that some of the dogs were starving.

McGlynn was arrested on 30 January 2025 and confirmed she lived alone at the address. She told gardaí she had a breakdown and the house had not been cleaned since the summer.

She said she had last fed the animals the day before gardaí attended the house and had taken them out a few times a day but gardaí could see no indication of that.

Gardaí asked her when things had started going downhill. She said she supposed it had been a few months previously and that she had taken on too much as she was a people pleaser. She said the vet reports showed “how sick I was”.

Gda Lally told the judge that people leaving their dogs with McGlynn had not been able to see the house and McGlynn had given them different reasons why not.

Gda Lally told Justin McQuade BL, defending, that it was estimated that McGlynn earned about €2,700 for the boarding dogs that were there on the day. He agreed she was fully cooperative and had entered a very early guilty plea, that was indicated from the outset.

The garda did not agree that the dogs placed were placed for foster with her as a “last resort”. He said they were placed with the intention of being cared for and rehomed afterwards.

He agreed that the overall reflection of her attitude during garda interview was that she never intended to cause harm but became so unwell she was unable to ask for help.

He agreed that all of the dogs were assessed, some received treatment and none of the dogs were euthanised. They have all made a recovery.

The garda agreed that the charities involved were surprised when they found out about the conditions in the house. He said foster dogs found had been placed with McGlynn between May 2024 and November 2024, with no date for three foster dogs. Another dog had been there for one year.

Gda Lally said one of the charities had reported offering McGlynn money and food in relation to the care of their foster dogs, but she had declined it. He said any neutering or spaying treatment for the fostered dogs was paid for by the charities.

The garda agreed McGlynn appears much healthier now that she did at the time.

McQuade handed in a report from a psychologist treating McGlynn. He submitted mental health issues predated and postdated the case, with an inpatient admission about three months after these events. He said she is currently on disability, connected to her mental health difficulties.

He said she is receiving counselling and is doing well but is a vulnerable individual and pointed to “deeply personal matters” outlined in the reports before the court. He said she had done a lot of hard work dealing with her issues.

He said things must have looked and appeared normal on some basis, and she must have been to some extent appearing to be functioning normally externally.

McQuade said he did not wish to shift the blame and the fact that the charities were prepared to trust and place their rescue dogs with her speaks of a person who was kind and an animal lover. He said they had identified her as someone they could go to and rely on.

He said she is fully aware she breached that trust and that is a matter of great shame to her.

He said the accused described herself as a people pleaser who could not say no and her mental health had deteriorated as she was simply overwhelmed by the situation she found herself in.

Counsel said this was a single lady – a dog lover – who has been minding dogs for 20 years.

He said her mental health had been in a downward spiral before these offences were detected, which occurred not out of badness, malice, or greed but because of the deterioration in her mental health.

McQuade submitted that putting the offending into context reduced her culpability.

He acknowledged there was cruelty in the case but said she has pleaded guilty and is deeply ashamed and remorseful. He said she was living in the same squalid conditions as the animals.

Counsel pointed to her lack of previous convictions and said it was highly unlikely she would come before the courts again. He said the principles of rehabilitation, punishment and deterrence can be met while stopping short of an immediate custodial sentence.

The court heard McGlynn currently has no dogs and the three dogs she owned have not been returned to her. This was a punishment in and of itself, Judge Crowe noted.