Four dogs starved to death in a grim, poo-festooned house after their vile owner forgot to feed them for weeks.
Victoria Blood had locked two Belgian Malinois, a Cocker Spaniel and a Jack Russell inside the kitchen of her home for four months.
The animals were forced to chew through a water pipe in a desperate attempt to survive.
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The remains of the dogs, Angel, River, Jax and Binks, were found in a thick layer of faeces and stagnant water
The 53-year-old had moved out of the home in Coundon, near Bishop Auckland, Co Durham, and admitted not feeding the animals for four weeks before they died.
The kitchen door had been barricaded shut from the living room side with a broom and a stool so they couldn’t get out, as reported on Need To Know.
Due to the amount of liquid faeces on the floor and the state of decomposition, it was unclear if the remains of two of the dogs were still in the kitchen or if they had been eaten by the last dog who died.
An RSPCA spokesperson described it as the “most harrowing case they’d seen in 16 years”.
They said: “I was immediately hit by an incredibly strong smell of faeces and damp and had to put covers on my shoes as I could not avoid standing in the thick layer of faeces mixed with water from a leaking pipe on the floor.
“I was extremely shocked by what I saw in this kitchen.
“There were lots of flies and spider webs which I walked into as I entered the room.
“The door and walls were extremely dirty and every surface in the kitchen was covered in a thick layer of faeces with lots of paw prints.
“The noise I could hear was the pipe under the sink where water was leaking out constantly onto the floor below.
“There was broken furniture, lots of empty bowls and other rubbish and containers on the floor area, so I stood on these so as not to sink into the thick slurry on the floor.
“I opened the back door and asked Ms Blood where the dogs were as I could not immediately see any of them.
“She said they were in the kitchen so I said I would need to search for their carcasses and I came outside to put overalls on and get evidence bags to put them in.
“It’s so difficult to think about what poor Angel, River, Jax and Binks went through in their final months.
“The scene in the kitchen was the most harrowing I have ever encountered in my 16 years as an RSPCA inspector.
“I’m pleased a lengthy ban was imposed which reflects how serious this case was.
“If anyone feels too embarrassed to ask for help and is struggling to look after their pets, I would urge them to speak to people and ask for help, rather than letting their animals suffer.”
Victoria Blood pleaded guilty to one offence contrary to the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and was given a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 24 months.
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