Woman Who Kept 270 Dogs Pleads Not Guilty to Animal Abuse
OSAKA –
A former dog breeder accused of failing to provide veterinary treatment to injured dogs at a facility in Neyagawa, Osaka Prefecture, pleaded not guilty as her trial opened on October 7, saying she had raised the animals with affection.
Chiyoko Onishi has been charged with violating Japan’s animal welfare law. According to the indictment, between 2016 and 2022, Onishi failed to take five dogs in her care for veterinary treatment despite the animals suffering injuries including dislocated joints.
At the first hearing on October 7, Onishi denied the allegations. “I raised them with love. I did not abuse them as the prosecutors claim, nor is it true that I failed to provide them with appropriate care,” she told the court.
Onishi is believed to have kept and sold about 270 dogs at the facility in Neyagawa.
Source: YOMIURI
