A man has been fined €1,150 and restricted from keeping dogs at his property for 18 months, after being convicted of causing unnecessary cruelty to a number of animals.

Seamus Looby of Raheen, Garryspillane, Co Limerick, pleaded guilty at Kilmallock District Court to a number of charges including causing unnecessary suffering to dogs.

He also faced charges for his failure to bury two adult dogs and a puppy found dead from neglect on his property.

ISPCA animal welfare inspectors seized 37 dogs from Looby's farm on 16 May 2017 after they were alerted to the condition of the animals by a Department of Agriculture veterinary inspector.

The dogs, mostly collies, were found in substandard conditions without access to clean drinking water, they were flea-ridden and tightly chained in outhouses and sheds, and they were weak and lethargic as a result of a lack of basic care.

Judge Marion O'Leary also ordered him to pay an additional €1,000 to the ISPCA toward the costs of the investigation.

Judge O'Leary restricted Looby from keeping dogs for a period of 18 months under section 58 of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013.