THIS 12-week-old German Shepherd puppy was rescued by RSPCA inspectors who found it in a cold, damp house without food and surrounded by its own dirt.

Young mother Michelle Martin admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an animal when she appeared before Hyndburn magistrates.

Martin, 23, of Midland Street, Accrington, was banned from keeping animals for 10 years, ordered to pay £250 costs and given a 12 month conditional discharge.

Chris Wyatt, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said the dog was grossly underweight and had not been provided with sufficient food.

When it was found the dog weighed just 3.4 kilos but after a month's care at the RSPCA's premises in Altham its weight doubled.

An RSPCA inspector visited the defendant's home in Midland Street on October 17. There was no reply.

The inspector heard a dog whining inside the house and went into the back yard to investigate.

"He could clearly see the dog was in a distressed state. Although it had long hair he could see it was in poor bodily condition and it had sunken, staring eyes," said Mr Wyatt. The inspector managed to open the kitchen window and when he did so the smell was overpowering, he said.

When the inspector returned later the landlord unlocked the door.

There was no electricity in the house and it was cold and damp inside.

The dog was emaciated and extremely nervous, said Mr Wyatt.

The lino floor in the kitchen was covered with excrement and urine.

There was a saucepan containing water but there was no food. A vet estimated the dog had been left in the property without food for around 10 days.

When interviewed by the RSPCA, Martin said she and her then boyfriend Mark Crossland had bought it a week earlier.

But Mr Crossland said the dog had been bought around six weeks ago.

The owner of the pet shop where the dog was purchased said the puppy had been sold more than a month before and had been in good condition. Mr Wyatt said: "It was only when she was confronted with the evidence from the other people that she told the RSPCA something like the truth. She said she had had it for over a month. She said the puppy was spoilt and it had been given chocolate to eat, but this did not accord with what we found."

Magistrates told Martin the photographs, which included graphic shots of the filthy surroundings the dog was found in, did not make for very pleasant viewing.

Graeme Parkinson, defending, said Martin had been living with her boyfriend and they had bought the dog together.

They then split up, and Martin left, taking all their money and furniture.

Martin, who has a four-year-old child, had to make a fresh claim for benefits under the circumstances and she had neglected the pet because she was on a very low income.

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