William Mangles Carlyle Moyes: Bridgetown man facing animal cruelty charges after dogs found living in squalor

A South West breeder who allegedly had 39 dogs living in his home has denied a string of cruelty charges, with the worst of them including leaving the animals to sleep in pools of urine and drink from a broken sewerage pipe. William Mangles Carlyle Moyes, 60, appeared in Manjimup Magistrates Court via audio link on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to 28 counts of animal abuse against labradoodle dogs that RSPCA inspectors seized from his Bridgetown property. The RSPCA will allege some of the dogs were lethargic, non-responsive and not exhibiting normal behaviour, with one animal allegedly stuckdown the side of a bed when RSPCA inspectors went to the property. The RSPCA said in a statement earlier this year that Mr Moyes’ home was in a filthy, squalid condition and reeked of urine and faeces. Other cruelty allegedly observed by RSPCA inspectors included wet and dirty dog beds in corners of the room, no fresh food or water available, large piles of rubbish, a number of dogs fighting and running around aimlessly and older animals with faeces in their fur. The animal cruelty allegedly occurred between August 26 last year and January 13 and involved dogs aged between four and 14 months. The charges include 16 counts of cruelty and 12 counts of failing to take reasonable steps to prevent the animals from suffering harm. Mr Moyes said he understood the charges laid against him, while entering pleas of not guilty to all of them. Mr Moyes will attend Bunbury Magistrates Court on November 15 for his trial allocation date. The maximum penalty for each of the animal cruelty charges is a $50,000 fine and five years in prison.