Danielle Southern

Two young dogs were discovered starving and desperately malnourished in a Liverpool home — one with bones jutting through his skin, the other beneath a mass of filthy, tangled fur.

One would never get the chance of a new life.

Danielle Southern, 30, of Saunby Close, Garston, admitted two offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 after the discovery of French Bulldog Benji and Bichon Frise Pixie.

Both dogs scored just ONE out of NINE on the veterinary body condition scale — the lowest possible score, indicating emaciation.

Photographs of the dogs show the appalling condition they were found in.

Two-year-old Benji’s ribs stand out beneath his coat. His waist is painfully pinched, his backbone pronounced and his hip bones sharply defined. Viewed from above and behind, the extent of his wasting is stark.

He weighed just 5.3kg. A vet concluded he had been starved for a “long period of time”. He also had skin problems around his ears and a wound on his tail.

One-year-old Pixie weighed only 2.9kg. Photographs show her cream-coloured coat hanging in dirty, densely tangled clumps, with heavy matting around her head, ears and legs. Dark staining and debris are visible across the fur on her underside.

Her coat was so badly matted that it concealed the extent of her thinness. When an RSPCA officer handled her, she could feel her ribs with apparently no protective fat covering them.

Pixie had to be sedated so the matted fur could be removed.

RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Hana Yen attended Southern’s home on February 10 following concerns about the animals. Southern said she wanted help and wished to have the dogs rehomed. She signed both over to the charity.

For Pixie, rescue was followed by a devastating diagnosis. Vets discovered liver disease and concluded that putting her to sleep was the kindest option.

Benji also needed treatment for parvovirus. He recovered in RSPCA foster care and has since found a new home.

Southern appeared at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court where she received an 18-month community order, including 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days, and was ordered to pay £500 costs.

She was also banned from keeping animals for 10 years.

Benji survived to begin again.

Pixie never got that chance.