The RSPCA has said that two dogs who were so thin their ribs were protruding when police seized them are now healthy and seeking new homes.
Rocco, a mastiff, and Smudge, a lurcher, were taken from a home in Harrogate when Robbie Nelson refused to sign them over to the animal welfare charity last year.
A vet who examined the dogs concluded both animals were malnourished.
He gave Rocco a one out of nine score on a body condition test, which is classed as a state of emaciation, while Smudge scored two out of nine.
Robbie Nelson, 24, of Woodfield View, was banned from keeping animals for five years when he appeared in court in July.
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His brother Charlie Nelson, 28, of Woodfield View, Harrogate, was also disqualified from owning pets for five years when he was sentenced this month.
RSPCA inspector Tom Hutton found the dogs underweight and living in accommodation littered with household waste, scrap bikes and dog faeces when he was called out by police to a flat on Starbeck High Street on March 18, 2021.
The flat was covered in dog faeces.
The RSPCA said today that under its care, Rocco and Smudge have returned to a healthy weight and condition and the charity will “now look to find them loving new owners”.
Inspector Hutton said:
“We thank North Yorkshire Police for alerting us to the dreadful situation Rocco and Smudge were in. It meant we were able to rescue them and now we will be able to find them new homes where they are loved and cared for.”
Rocco (left) and Smudge now, looking healthy and seeking new homes.
