A dog was left dehydrated, underweight and unable to stand after being neglected by its owner in the Black Country, a court heard.

The Staffordshire bull terrier suffered from “prolonged starvation” and was found collapsed in a neighbour’s garden in Willenhall.

Simone Scott admitted two counts of a failing to ensure the welfare of an animal when she appeared before Walsall Magistrates Court yesterday.

The 21-year-old was charged with not ensuring the pet named Lowski was provided with a suitable diet and failed to protect the animal from pain and suffering.

She initially denied the offences but changed her plea ahead of the trial. Scott, now of Gower Street, in All Saints, Wolverhampton, was warned she faces a disqualification from owning animals.

Roger Price, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said they were called to Barcroft  in Willenhall where mother-of-two Scott was staying with relatives in March this year.

It followed concerns from neighbours who had seen the pet in a poor condition. The female dog was discovered in the garden of a neighbour’s house in a “collapsed state” looking thin.

The pet, believed to be around nine months at the time, was taken to a vet’s in an emaciated condition. The dog’s body temperature was found to be low, she had an irregular heartbeat, was dehydrated, and all food had to be liquidised. Mr Price told the court there had been “prolonged starvation over many days.”

Mohammed Ikram, defending, said the dog had gone missing and her client was intending to call the RSPCA and other authorities.

He added the pet had previously been looked after well but the family was moving home. So at that time the animal was not given the attention it should have been, he accepted.

District Judge Michael Morris adjourned the case until Wednesday for pre-sentence reports. He warned her she was facing a disqualification from keeping animals, a deprivation order to keep the pet out of her possession and costs.