Two Wendouree residents facing numerous animal cruelty charges will return to court in May.
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Fiona McCoy and Daniel Murphy were charged by RSPCA Victoria earlier this year under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 with more than 30 counts of alleged animal cruelty.
The charges, which relate to housing and general health issues of the animals, followed an investigation by the RSPCA's Special Investigations Unit and the City of Ballarat into an alleged dog breeding establishment at Wendouree.
Numerous dogs and puppies were seized by RSPCA Victoria inspectors during a search of the Wendouree property in April of last year as part of the investigations.
That followed the seizure of more dogs after they were discovered by Council staff in cages in a park outside of Ballarat earlier in 2016.
Both accused faced the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Monday morning for a first mention of the matter.
Adjourning the case until May 4, Magistrate Mark Stratmann said discussions between parties needed to be held so there was more clarity about what was to occur when the matter returned to court in May.
