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A pet owner has been banned from owning animals for 10 years after she dumped her dead dog in a wheelie bin in one of the “worst cases of starvation” an RSPCA inspector had seen.
Rachel Burke, 39, was arrested after inspectors made the grim discovery at her squalid home in Hetton-le-Hole, Tyne and Wear.
Her terraced property was strewn with dog and human faeces, an outside dog pen was kept in filthy conditions and no food or water was available for her pets.
Officials were shocked to discover the badly emaciated body of her lurcher, called Blue, wrapped in a bag and stuffed in a wheelie bin.
The black animal weighed just 9.7kg (21lbs) – less than half the weight of a normal healthy dog.
A black Labrador puppy was found running around the house when RSPCA inspectors and police raided the property on 16 January.
The puppy, called Floyd, was taken into the charity’s care and later rehomed.
Burke, who failed to attend court, was convicted in her absence of causing unnecessary suffering and failing to provide a suitable environment for the dogs.
She was ordered to complete 220 hours of unpaid work as part of a two-year community sentence at Newton Aycliffe magistrates’ court.
The magistrates also ordered the mother of three to pay £600 court costs and a victim surcharge of £95.
RSPCA inspector John Lawson told the court: “We checked the wheelie bin in the rear garden and at the top was a black bin bag with a small hole in it.
“To the touch and through this hole it was clear the bag contained a deceased dog and his colour was the same as the dog in the photograph.
“There were no dog food or water bowls.
“There was an empty bag of Wagg dog food on top of the fridge and some dog treats on the kitchen counter, however no other dog food was seen.
“Upstairs the floor of what appeared to be a child’s room was littered with dog faeces.”
A vet’s report concluded the emaciated dog would have been suffering for months through malnutrition.
Inspector Lawson said: “It was devastating to see how thin he was.
“His ribs, spine and hips were clearly visible, there was no muscle mass and his eyes were sunken in.
“Blue’s abdomen had sunk to a level I had never seen before.”
The court heard Burke dumped Blue in the bin bag so her children could not see him.
Additional reporting by SWNS
