Andro Bahbo: West Hoxton university student sentenced over animal cruelty charges

A university student who bred German Shepherds as a side hustle has been forced to surrender his puppies after they were found in a garage without water and with faecal matter between their paws.

Andro Bahbo appeared at Liverpool Local Court on Wednesday

A university student who bred German Shepherds as a side hustle has been forced to surrender two puppies after they were found in a garage without water and with faecal matter between their paws and covering their nails.

Andro Bahbo, 23, appeared at Liverpool Local Court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to committing an act of cruelty upon an animal and being in charge of an animal failing to provide vet treatment after an RSPCA inspector discovered an adult German shepherd and two puppies “living in squalor” at a West Hoxton home between July and August.

Documents tendered to court state an RSPCA inspector attended Bahbo’s home on July 27 and discovered a “strong pungent odour” coming from the garage where a puppy was found in an “underweight body condition”.

“The garage was in squalor condition and soiled with animal faeces and urine and the garage floor was littered with bottles, cans, tyres, cardboard, wood and styrofoam,” the facts state.

The following day, the inspector called Bahbo and advised he must clean the garage but he told her he had “been busy with university and work and has not had time to clean the garage”.

Andro Bahbo appeared at Liverpool Local Court on Wednesday

On August 3 the inspector visited the home again and found “the garage was in worse condition to the point the inspector gagged from the strong odour emitting from the garage”.

After not hearing from Bahbo for when RSPCA could inspect the puppy, an RSPCA and NSW Police attended his home on August 4 and found the three dogs had no water and the puppy was emaciated.

“The dogs were living in squalor conditions with no place to retreat away from their own faecal matter and urine,” the facts state.

“As a result, the dogs were found to have urine staining and faecal matter between their paws and covering their nails.”

The inspector spoke to Bahbo on the phone and he advised none of the dogs were under vet treatment, he last cleaned the garage a month ago and only once since the puppies were born.

“He agreed that the dogs would have been in distress, discomfort, and suffering due to the poor husbandry conditions, but as he brings the dogs into the laundry sometimes he doesn’t think they would be suffering all the time,” the facts state.

Andro Bahbo appeared at Liverpool Local Court on Wednesday

The dogs were seized by RSPCA and underwent vet treatment.

Bahbo, who was unrepresented, said he was breeding the dogs “not just as a side business but also as my hobby”.

Despite his plea to keep the dogs due to his “personal connection” after raising them from puppies, Magistrate Gareth Christofi said it was “oddly strange” for him to let his dogs live in filth despite him proclaiming affection for them.

“If you did have a strong connection then you would have been appalled and concerned by the conditions they were living in and would have never let it happen,” Mr Christofi said.

Bahbo was convicted and fined $4000 with a moiety awarded to RSPCA of 50 per cent.

He was also ordered to pay $4747.23 professional costs to the RSPCA and forfeit the male and female puppies to the organisation.