Dog starved to death after being left in filth without food or water

Three dogs were left to starve in filthy conditions with faeces and household rubbish littered around the house.

One of the dogs died, leaving the other two alone with its body.

Owner Nicole Jones had left them without food or water in a case of animal neglect ‘as bad as it gets’.

RSPCA inspector Garry Parlmer attended the house on January 12 and found that lurcher Ruby had already died.

He tried to rescue the other two, a lurcher called Gypsy and a Rottweiler type called Bronson, although they were both very underweight. Sadly, Bronson had been so badly treated he had to be put down.

Jones, from Ferryhill in County Durham, has been banned from keeping animals for a decade.

Inspector Palmer said: ‘I could see through the window that the conditions inside were awful with dog faeces and household rubbish littered throughout.

‘There was a young tan and white crossbreed curled up on the floor dead next to a chewed-up Pot Noodle pot.

‘Gypsy was laid out on a settee and appeared very weak and listless. She barely moved when I knocked on the window.

‘When we got inside we found a tub of fence paint in the house had been knocked over revealing paw prints on top of the worktops and even inside the empty fridge.

‘It was a very upsetting scene.’

The surviving dogs were immediately taken to a vet for urgent treatment but only one survived.

Emaciated Gypsy was offered food and water and she ate and drank immediately, making a remarkable recovery.

Inspector Palmer described the dead dog in the house as the most underweight dog he had ever encountered whilst being employed with the RSPCA.

He said: ‘In my opinion this is as bad as it gets – depriving animals of their basic needs of food and water and as a consequence one dog paid the ultimate price.’

‘The RSPCA had given Jones advice in September yet she ignored this advice and made things worse by taking on a third dog in the meantime.

‘She could have easily contacted the RSPCA for help.’

In mitigation the court heard that Jones had mental health problems and that she had no previous convictions.

Jones, 19, of Kitchener Terrace, appeared before Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court last week after pleading guilty to three offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 at a hearing earlier this month.

She admitted causing unnecessary suffering and failing to meet the needs of three dogs and was banned from keeping animals for 10 years with no appeal to have the ban lifted for at least seven years.

Jones was also sentenced to 12 weeks in prison suspended for 18 months and ordered to undertake a 20-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement. She was also ordered to pay £400 costs and a £115 victim surcharge.