A 23-year-old woman, who starved two family dogs to death and then chucked their bodies out with the rubbish has been banned from owning pets for life.
Sheridan Greer abandoned the Staffordshire bull terriers in her empty two-bed terrace after she split with her boyfriend and moved out.
Greer, who told prosecutors she could not cope with looking after the dogs but left 12-month-old Patch and 18- month-old Duke behind after her benefits were reduced and she split with her boyfriend.
She admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the dogs and not taking reasonable steps to ensure the needs of a pet were met.
Burnley Magistrates Court yesterday heard how Greer had occasionally returned to the house, but failed to feed or give water to the dogs.
Upon finding their lifeless bodies she dragged them into the yard with the rest of the rubbish.
A post mortem showed the dogs' weight had dropped from a healthy 14 kilos down to 11 by the time they had died, Metro.Co.Uk reported.
Police and RSPCA inspectors raided the house in Burnley, Lancs, after neighbours reported concerns.
They found the carcasses dumped in the back yard surrounded by bin bags full of rubbish.
Two cats were in the house but they survived, The Sun reported.
She was banned from owning pets for life, given an 18- week suspended prison sentence and was ordered to pay 200 pound costs and an 80 pound victim surcharge, the reports said.
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPA) Inspector Lyndsey Taylor said the dogs would have been starving for at least fours weeks before they died, and said the post mortem revealed they had succumbed to eating items like tins and dish clothes due to their hunger.
"Seeing those dogs when we first went to the house is an image that will stay with me forever," she said.
