Cruel dog owner, 43, who left her Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Rocky to ... trends now
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A cruel dog owner who left her dog called Rocky to starve to death inside a filthy house after she moved to live with a new partner has been spared jail.
Carrie Hansford abandoned her Staffordshire Bull Terrier - who had been her pet for 10 years - leaving him to die a slow and painful death surrounded by huge piles of rubbish and his own waste.
Distressing photographs show the starved dog's corpse lying in the filth. Handsford had seen the dog the day after he died but instead of alerting authorities, left his tiny body to rot before heading back to her new lover's home, a court heard previously.
A dog warden eventually broke into her home in Southampton, Hampshire, with a warrant, where he found the Staffordshire Bull Terrier's 'emaciated' and insect-riddled remains.
Hansford was this week banned from keeping animals for five years and was handed a four-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months. She was also made to work 100 hours unpaid.
Carrie Hansford abandoned her Staffordshire Bull Terrier - who had been her pet for 10 years - leaving him to die a slow and painful death
Distressing photographs show the starved dog's corpse lying in the filth. It is unknown how long Rocky had been abandoned
Animal handler Mark Knight told Portsmouth Magistrates Court how he found 10-year-old Rocky surrounded by piles of his own faeces after being called to Hansford's home.
Upon entering the property, the former Vet nurse said was greeted with an 'overwhelming' smell'.
Mr Knight said: 'The smell immediately indicated something was wrong and my thoughts straight away were that I was going to find something dead.'
After searching the first floor of the house, Mr Knight returned downstairs where the smell became stronger.
He said: 'As I got into the kitchen, I immediately saw a lot of dog excrement - months and months'
