More than 30 dogs seized by police at North Wales farm following concerns about animal welfare

Video report by ITV News Wales and West of England Correspondent Rupert Evelyn

Dozens of dogs have been seized by police at a farm in North Wales following concerns about animal welfare and a potential breach of a court order.

Officers from the North Wales rural crime unit and the RSPCA moved in on the rural Snowdonia location where they found 34 dogs and two ferrets. 

In one outbuilding, 200 yards from the main farm, a lone dog was discovered, tied up, surrounded by its own muck.

The dog was rescued from the building and a vet was instantly on hand to assess her before she was taken to safety.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “RSPCA officers joined North Wales Police as they executed a warrant at a property in Gwynedd on 17 November following information from the League Against Cruel Sports. A number of dogs were removed and are now in RSPCA care. We cannot comment any further at this time due to ongoing enquiries.”

The dogs were living inside and outside a sprawling mass of buildings, amongst them a pack of foxhounds.

The investigation will focus on the condition of the animals and whether a court order preventing keeping of dogs has been breached.  

This was an unusual police operation due to its scale. All the animals are now being cared for elsewhere in accommodation believed to be inside, warm and with bedding.