A woman has been banned from owning pets after she left her two dogs locked in a kitchen for four days.

Chelsea Ellis, 27, left the two chihuahua crossbreeds – Sleigh and Rolo – at her home without adequate food or water.

Ellis, of Burrfield Drive, Orpington, now can’t own any animals for five years and was handed a 12 month community order following an investigation by the RSPCA.

She plead guilty to an offence under section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act for causing the animals to suffer.

Sleigh and Rolo are thought to be aged between one and three years old.

The dogs were rescued by the RSPCA following concerns they’d been left for long periods of time between September and November last year.

Animal rescue officer Rodney Kenny monitored the dogs over a four day period between 30 October and 2 November 2022, during which time he believed no one had come to check on them.

He said: “On the fourth day I looked at both dogs through the kitchen window, one was a chihuahua with dark scruffy hair.

“Despite his long hair he looked to be very thin, I could see that his abdomen seemed to be sunken in between his rib cage and his rear legs.

“His face looked very thin with the bone structure prominent and his eyes seemed to be more prominent than I would expect. I also remember that his legs looked very thin and out of proportion to the rest of his body. I believed that he was malnourished.

“The other dog, a tan coloured terrier cross, also looked thin. After a couple of minutes the dogs stopped barking and laid down on the floor.

“I was concerned for these dogs, I believed they were suffering because of the change of behavior I had witnessed since my first visit and did not think that anyone had provided food, water or any care in those four days.”

The dogs were seized by police and taken to RSPCA Finsbury Park Animal Hospital, where they were checked over by a vet.

The vet added: “In my opinion, both dogs were suffering and their needs were not being met. I believe that if the dogs hadn’t been rescued, their condition would have deteriorated, resulting in more suffering and possibly death.

“The owner failed to recognise signs of malnutrition and seek veterinary advice within a reasonable time frame or make adequate provisions which allowed their condition to deteriorate, and ultimately caused their suffering.

“The period of suffering is estimated to be over at least two to three months.”

In court, Ellis said she was struggling to care for the dogs due to having family difficulties.

She was sentecned on Thursday, June 22, and told to do 120 hours of unpaid work, as well as pay £1000 in costs.