Kennel shut down over howling hounds

A judge has ordered the closure of hunt kennels in Bandon that housed 36 hounds whose howling kept neighbours awake.

The Carbery Hunt kennels, which have been at the Old Military Barrack Mill for the past 80 years, were ordered to close yesterday despite a number of attempts to quieten the animals with piped music and electronic “bark busters”.

The foxhounds listened to pop music and talk radio shows, including Ray D’Arcy, in a bid to distract them, houndsman John Roche said. Hunt organisers installed a high-pitched electronic dog silencer, the “bark buster”, but it was blown off a wall by the wind and the dogs chewed it up.