Puppy farmer jailed after 22 dogs tragically put down

A Perth man has been jailed after authorities uncovered a horrifying puppy farming operation where dozens of dogs were left terrified, neglected and suffering from serious medical conditions.

Jia Xu Dong, 41, was sentenced to nine months in prison after pleading guilty to 36 animal cruelty charges following the discovery of 105 dogs at a property in Canning Vale, Western Australia.

The heartbreaking discovery was made in December 2024, when RSPCA inspectors were alerted to dogs roaming outside the property during the height of summer.

What they found inside was devastating.

More than 100 dogs, including golden retrievers, corgis, French bulldogs, cocker spaniels and groodles, were being kept in filthy kennels and enclosures, many suffering from severe neglect.

Some had painfully matted fur, infected wounds, ruptured eardrums, dental disease and dehydration. Others were so traumatised by their treatment that they were terrified of human contact.

In one particularly distressing revelation, inspectors discovered dogs that would stare at kennel walls for hours, while others chewed at the concrete walls of their enclosures.

An independent veterinary behaviour specialist described the animals’ psychological suffering as intolerable.

“The level of fearful states in some of these dogs means that they are daily dealing with a level of fear that is unacceptable,” the specialist reported.

Tragically, despite the RSPCA’s efforts, 22 dogs were so severely affected by their ordeal that they had to be humanely euthanised.

The court heard that Dong had bred hundreds of puppies between 2021 and 2025, with investigators estimating the operation could have generated more than $1.17 million in sales.

Puppies were allegedly taken from the breeding property to a separate home in Como when they were ready to be sold, concealing the conditions in which they had been raised.

In another disturbing revelation, Dong admitted that some animals required veterinary treatment but refused to take them to a vet, instead attempting to treat one dog’s injury with honey.

During sentencing, Magistrate Sandra De Maio delivered a scathing assessment of Dong’s behaviour, describing him as a “devious and dishonest individual”.

She said the animals had been abandoned to suffer in appalling conditions, with their owner showing little concern for their wellbeing.

“He (was) uncaring of their welfare and indifferent to their pain,” she told the court.

The magistrate also rejected Dong’s claims that he was simply a dog lover who had accidentally ended up with puppies to sell.

“I simply do not believe a word he says,” she said.

“The practice of puppy farming must be abolished.”

Dong was also fined $5000 for breaching court orders after selling a golden retriever puppy despite being ordered to surrender his animals.

RSPCA WA Inspector Manager Kylie Green said the case was among the worst examples of commercial-scale neglect she had encountered.

“It was clear these dogs were viewed simply as breeding machines and products for sale, with no thought for their physical or psychological wellbeing,” she said.

“This case was both heartbreaking and infuriating. When animals are treated purely as commodities in the pursuit of profit, the consequences for their welfare can be devastating.”

However, amid the heartbreak, there is some comfort in knowing that many of the surviving dogs have been given a second chance.

A total of 117 dogs, including puppies born after their mothers were rescued, were eventually placed in RSPCA care.

Thanks to the extraordinary dedication of foster carers, many of the frightened animals gradually learned to trust people again.

Most foster carers ultimately chose to adopt the dogs they had helped rehabilitate, giving them the loving homes they had been denied for so long.

For RSPCA senior inspector Jayde Palin, seeing the rescued animals finally experience kindness has made the difficult ordeal worthwhile.

“Knowing that there are 70 to 80 per cent of dogs that I have helped that are now in the homes they’ve deserved ever since they were born, living their best lives or trying to live as normally as possible, I think that makes the job worthwhile,” she said.

While nothing can undo the suffering endured by the 22 dogs who lost their lives, the survivors are finally receiving something every dog deserves: safety, kindness and a family to call their own.