Blackpool woman Kirsty Dunne admits cruelty offences which saw RSPCA seize her four dogs

Kirsty Dunne, 38, formerly of Bloomfield Road and now of Grasmere Road, appeared before Blackpool Magistrates on animal cruelty charges yesterday.

One of the four dogs was in such a pitiful and starving condition that RSPCA officers initially thought it was dead, the court heard.

Only the care of the animal welfare charity which seized the four dogs – Apollo, Charlie, Luna and Tilly – saved the most stricken of the animals, prosecutor Paul Ridehalgh told Magistrates.

The dogs were rescued from Dunne’s semi-detached home in Bloomfield Road in October last year.

She admitted four offences of being responsible for the dogs and failing to provide them with a proper diet and care.

The RSPCA said the extent of Dunne’s neglect had caused all four dogs ‘pain and suffering’.

Prosecutor Paul Ridehalgh said: “One of the dogs was in such a starved state that inspectors thought it was dead and it was only their intervention which saved it."

"This is a serious case and breaches the custody threshold,” he added, claiming that neither a fine alone nor a community sentence was sufficient punishment for Dunne’s cruelty offences.

Brett Chappell, defending Dunne, said: “The gravity of the case is not lost on my client. She is consumed by shame.”

Magistrates ordered pre-sentence reports on the 38-year-old and warned she faces a potential jail term upon sentencing.

Dunne will next appear before Blackpool Magistrates for sentencing at a date to be confirmed.