Penny, a Staffordshire bull terrier suffered a lingering and painful death after being left chained to her kennel in the back garden of her north Wales home.

Inspector Tim Jones was appalled by the case

Her owners, Paul Williams and Theresa Lowry from Flintshire, have been banned for keeping animals for five years after admitting cruelty.

The 25 and 19-year-olds were also fined �117 each and ordered to pay �100 costs by magistrates.

The dog's body was found in the garden of the Holywell house by an inspector from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)who was reacting to a complaint from a member of the public.

Tim Jones said the dog's body was still chained to her kennel and there was dried food in a bowl nearby.

"I was disgusted when I saw the state of her and I called the police," he said.

This dog was only 18 months old. It was an unnecessary waste of life.

RSPCA Inspector Tim Jones

"The dog had no food in its stomach at all, she had suffered for several weeks but I think she had only been dead a short while.

"Unfortunately we have seen cases similar to like this but this was an extreme case.

"This dog was only 18 months old. It was an unnecessary waste of life."

The dog had belonged to 25-year-old Mr Williams but she stayed with his 19-year-old girlfriend and their children when they split up.

"This is one of the worst cases because they were so close to the dog and living nearby - they could have helped her at anytime," Mr Jones added.

"They both knew the dog was there and she should have been checked upon."

A post mortem examination showed Penny had no fat reserves around any of the major organs and no food in her stomach.

Sadly, in the arguments between themselves they did not satisfactorily consider the care and welfare of the dogQuote Here

Defence counsel Magnus Macaskill

Court chairman John Beard described it as an "appalling case" but the bench had taken the pair's circumstances into account and the fact that they had pleaded guilty to cruelty.

Magnus Macaskill, defending the couple said they had now got back together and regretted what had happened.

"It does appear that the dog was the ill-considered casualty of problems within their own relationship," he said.

"Sadly, in the arguments between themselves they did not satisfactorily consider the care and welfare of the dog."

But the RSPCA said the situation was "totally unnecessary".

"If people don't want a dog there is no need to keep them, they can hand them over for re-housing," a spokesman said.