'I could see all her bones protruding' - Elsie the lurcher recovers after mistreatment by Hartlepool couple

As reported by the Mail last week, Levi Swift and Bethany Greener are both banned from owning animals for 10 years each after a prosecution by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).

Swift, 21, of Cornwall Street, and Greener, 35, of Hutton Avenue, both Hartlepool, each pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a lurcher called Elsie by failing to provide adequate nutrition for her needs towards the end of last year.

RSPCA Inspector Claire Wilson said in a statement to Teesside Magistrates’ Court that she went to Hutton Avenue on December 1 after a complaint was made from a member of the public about two dogs left outside a property without shelter or bedding.

One was said to be very thin and the caller described her as being “close to death”.

Inspector Wilson said: “It was immediately obvious that Elsie was in extremely poor body condition and emaciated.

"I could see all her bones protruding through her rough coat and could see her full spine, ribs, pelvic bones and shoulder bones without putting my hands on her.

“When I did stroke her bones were spiky to touch and she hardly had any muscle visible. She also had hair loss along her spine.”

Greener told the inspector the dog belonged to her partner and that they had rescued her two months earlier when she claimed she was in a “much worse condition with very little fur and struggling to stand”.

Inspector Wilson added: “She then said that she couldn’t afford to take the dogs to a vet as she only had £5 left from benefits at the end of the month once her bills came out.”

Elsie was taken to a vets and later transferred to private boarding kennels used by the RSPCA.

An expert report stated that Elsie would have been suffering for at least six weeks.

In two weeks in RSPCA care, she put on more than 3kg in weight and has since made a good recovery.

Elsie will now be rehomed after she and a second pet were placed in the care of the animal charity.

Swift and Greener must pay a combined court bill of nearly £600.