Following complaints by a neighbour over the alleged noise and odours emanating from the property, an investigation by Griffith City Council found that the rescue service run by Robyn Pike breached the city’s Local Environment Plan (LEP) 2002.

The issue of Mrs Pike housing dumped animals at her residence came to a head when enraged neighbour Roy Panuccio lodged a petition with council, claiming he was being “driven mad” by barking dogs and foul smells.

Mrs Pike, who operates as part of the Riverina and District Animal Rescue, strongly denied the allegations and said what she did prevented cruelty to animals and benefited both the community and council.

Council’s compliance department looked into the allegations and found Mrs Pike was not breaching the Companion Animals Act 1998, was meeting RSPCA guidelines and that the animals were being “treated extremely well”.

However, council’s planning staff discovered that Mrs Pike was contravening the LEP by running an “animal establishment, which is a building or place used for the breeding, boarding, training, keeping or caring for animals for commercial purposes …” in a 2A Residential Zone that prohibits animal establishments.

Council estimates the closure of the operation will result in an additional five animals a week – or 260 a year – being destroyed, a fact that deeply saddens Mrs Pike.

“I have to accept that this is going to happen; what else can I do?” she said.

“I have been doing this for two-and-a-half years going on to three years and I was encouraged by council to do it. It makes you wonder how it came to this.

“While I’ve been able to do this, I think the pressure’s been off council to build a new facility and employ someone to be an attendant.

“Council’s going to be euthanising a lot more animals now, but it is in their charter that they should make every effort to re-home an animal that is impounded and not reclaimed.”