A dog owner who kept four emaciated Staffordshire Bull Terriers in appalling conditions in the back garden of her Black Country home was today facing jail.

Jeannette Smith admitted nine counts of causing unnecessary suffering to her pets when she appeared at Wolverhampton Magistrates’ Court.

The 48-year-old, who was given a 10-year ban on keeping animals in 1990 after a previous cruelty case, also admitted failing in her duty of care to the animals by not providing a suitable environment for them.

She has now been warned she could face up to six weeks in jail and a lifetime ban on keeping animals.

The court heard how the four dogs were discovered in an emaciated state suffering from skin and ear conditions.

RSPCA inspector Jayne Bashford visited Smith’s home in Kempthorne Road, Bilston, on April 17 where she found dogs Zena, Princess, Ellie and Roly perched on top of a makeshift shelf.

Nick Sutton, prosecuting, told the court yesterday it was totally inadequate for any protection from the weather, and that Smith had failed to feed the dogs properly or take them to the vets.

He added: “It was perfectly clear to see these animals were extremely emaciated and very sick, with obvious skin complaints.

“There was no food and no water an officer described the ground as being littered with faeces and said there was no clean place for those dogs to stand anywhere.”

A vet gave all four dogs, of the brindle variety, scores of 1.5 or under on a scale, where one indicates a dangerously thin dog and five indicates obesity.

The court also heard how RSPCA inspectors had visited the property in the past, issuing an order to boost Zena’s weight.

A follow-up visit revealed that the dog had gained some weight, and Ms Bashford left her contact details at the RSPCA, telling Smith to call her if there were any more problems.

Hockham Singh Suthi, defending Smith, said the single mother accepted she should have called Ms Bashford, adding that she had struggled with the cost of keeping the dogs.

“She fully accepts the dogs were not in a very good condition,” he said.

Magistrate Norma Jukes asked for pre-sentence reports on Smith, but warned her: “We are looking at a custodial sentence.”

Smith was bailed until Tuesday when she will be sentenced.

The court heard that Roly, Zena and Ellie have been found new homes, while Princess had to be put down due to a heart condition.