Barry Magistrates heard how the locks on the house were changed

Richard Cox, 33, of Coleridge Crescent in Barry, south Wales, admitted causing unnecessary suffering after the remains of his dog were discovered.

Buster, a black and tan rottweiler, had been left locked in the kitchen of the house from which Cox was evicted.

Cox was given three months in jail and banned from keeping pets by Vale of Glamorgan Magistrates on Friday.

The court had previously heard how Cox had fallen behind with his rent on the house he was living in with the dog, which he had owned for about a year.

In September 2005, Cox was sent letters from his landlady, Diane Jones, telling him the locks on the house would be changed unless his arrears were paid.

RSPCA Inspector Nic de Calis found Buster's remains

Cox then left the house, his belongings and Buster, returning occasionally to check on the animal.

On 23 September, the front door lock was changed by his landlady's husband.

Geraint Richards, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said: "They didn't realise what was inside the house because they didn't have keys for the inside of the house.

"If Mr Cox had said there was a dog there, she (Ms Jones) would have forced entry.

Unknown to the landlady, Buster was locked in the kitchen at the back of the house where he had been left by Cox.

The court heard the lock on the backdoor of the house which led straight into the kitchen was not changed at the same time as the front door.

It was so decomposed it was effectively mummified Geraint Richards, prosecuting

In December, the landlady returned to check on the house where the discovery of Buster's remains were made.

Magistrates heard how the kitchen was soiled and the badly decomposed body of the dog was found on cushions on the floor.

Geraint Richards, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said: "It was so decomposed it was effectively mummified," said Mr Richards.

"It was just a skeleton and hair."

RSPCA inspectors took the body of the dog to a vet to be examined, but the decomposition meant a clear cause of death could not be determined.

However vets concluded the dog probably died from dehydration.

When arrested, the court hears that Richards claimed he had hoped the landlady had taken the dog but did not check.