RSPCA officers found a kennelled dog in such a poor condition that it could barely lift its head, a court heard.

The RSPCA seized the animal along with three others when they raided the home of 18-year-old Luke Evers of Tyne Crescent, Darlington, in April.

Darlington Magistrates’ Court heard today (Thursday, October 10) that the dogs were living in up to ten days’ worth of faeces and one of them, a bull lurcher, was so exhausted and dehydrated it had collapsed.

Kevin Campbell, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said the bull lurcher also smelled of urine and had mud and another animal’s blood on its coat.

Mr Campbell said: “The dog had been very heavily worked in the 24-hours before the visit by the RSPCA; it is effectively not moving and is lay in its kennel, it is barely able to move or lift its head.”

A vet’s report stated that the dog was suffering from dehydration and had fresh scratches on its body which indicated it had recently been in a fight with another animal.

Evers pleaded guilty in court to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and failing to ensure an animal’s welfare.

Mitigating, Sonny Lawson said Evers was a young man who had taken on too much in looking after four dogs.

He had only recently bought the bull lurcher and thought it was just a quiet dog, but later realised it had problems and intended to take it to the vets, Mr Lawson said.

Magistrates sentenced Evers to 200 hours unpaid work, banned him from keeping dogs for three years and imposed court charges of £260.