Messie breeding in Hungary

350 animals taken from Austrian woman during raid

Various dog breeds were bred on the neglected site and sold to Austria and Germany.

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Just 50 kilometers from the Austrian border, an unimaginable animal drama took place in Hungary today. According to local animal welfare activists, a well-known Austrian woman who is already banned from keeping dogs in her home country is involved. 

"I've seen a lot in animal welfare, but I've never seen anything like this," says Tamara Miskolczi, struggling to keep her composure. The Hungarian runs the animal welfare organization "Pfotenzukunft" and was present at the police operation in Csönge. 

Horrific pictures of a messy yard
The pictures and videos leaked to the "Krone" really take your breath away. They show: A large contingent of police, Hungarian media representatives and animal rescuers stand unannounced in front of the Messie farm of an Austrian woman who runs a large-scale "dog breeding station" there. Because the word "breeding" is probably not appropriate here. 

Between garbage, skeletal parts and dirt, around 200 dogs live behind barred crates that have absolutely nothing to do with species-appropriate and loving breeding. At first glance, one might suspect a particularly tragic case of "animal hoarding" - the pathological collection of animals until everything gets out of hand. 

Numerous animals are also likely to have died on the farm, with bones and skulls lying around the premises.

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But this case is different. This state of affairs is probably deliberate, as the animal owner Brigitta M. is reportedly no stranger to the situation. "As far as we know, Ms. M. has several reports of animal cruelty and illegal trading, as well as an existing ban on keeping dogs in Austria. That's why she moved to Hungary and we became aware of her," says animal rights activist Miskolczi. 

"Sells dogs to Austria and Germany"
"She has been breeding and selling her dogs to Austria and Germany for years," says Miskolczi. She continued: "I was there when the police went into the house. Ms. M. pretended to be asleep even though all the dogs were barking like crazy and the property was full of people, it's unbelievable." 

According to the emergency services on the scene, some of the animals are highly aggressive, even the puppies show conspicuous behavior or, on the contrary, are completely apathetic. 

Papers signed by Graz vet
According to the attentive animal rights activist, she also noticed health papers signed by a vet in Graz during the on-site inspection. Whether the vet was aware of the conditions on his client's Hungarian farm must now be the subject of an investigation. 

"Pfotenzukunft" already informed us last week that there was going to be a major operation. As an immediate measure, we sent a pallet of food to ensure the animals were fed. The situation is still unclear at the moment, and a second of the lady's properties is also being searched," says "Krone" animal corner manager Maggie Entenfellner. 

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How you can help

• The confiscated dogs are currently being distributed to several aid organizations in Hungary. Whether care places in Austria can be claimed first has to be legally clarified.
• "Pfotenzukunft Ungarn" and "Szurkolok az allatokert" are on site and are taking care of the animals.
• Donations of money and goods are urgently needed!
  "Association Friends of the Animal Corner"
  IBAN: AT93 6000 0000 9211 1811
  Important: Specify the keyword "UNGARN"!

Never buy animals via online ads!
Around 150 other dogs, as well as birds, donkeys and small animals were seized at the other location. "This case shows once again what can be hidden behind beautifully designed online ads. I hope that cross-border work will be carried out here and that the lady can be stopped once and for all," says Entenfellner. 

The operation will continue until late in the evening until all the animals have been properly secured.

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The confiscated dogs are currently being distributed to several aid organizations in Hungary. Whether care places are needed in Austria must first be legally clarified. We will continue to report on new events on an ongoing basis.