A dog has been given a new lease of life after spending more than five years trapped in a cage in his own mess and with a muzzle on.

However, another neglected dog found by the RSPCA in the same house had to be put down.

It comes after we reported the couple who kept the Jack Russell, named Jasper, in the squalid cage at their home in Boston Close, Dover, had been spared jail.

Jasper was found emaciated and covered in sores on his legs.

Suzanne Bunyard, 42, and her 53-year-old husband Mark admitted six charges of causing unnecessary suffering.

The couple were disqualified from owning any animals for life at Canterbury Magistrates’ Court.

They were handed a nine-week prison term – suspended for 12 months – and a further 12-week jail term, also suspended for a year.

Magistrates heard an elderly Jack Russell, named Spike, was discovered at the address covered in fleas and running around in an unsafe environment.

Both defendants also admitted failing to meet the needs of their two Jack Russells.

They were also ordered to pay costs of more than £1,071.

“I am disgusted to think that Jasper, the dog in the cage, had led a life of misery for more than five years" - RSPCA inspector Caroline Doe

After the case, the RSPCA said Jasper had been happily rehomed in a family where he is the only dog and is described as very friendly and contented despite his ordeal.

Spike was found to have had several underlying health problems when he was inspected by a vet, who said he should be put to sleep to end his suffering.

RSPCA inspector Caroline Doe said: “I am disgusted to think that Jasper, the dog in the cage, had led a life of misery for more than five years.

“There is no excuse for keeping animals like this. They admitted that neither dog had received any veterinary treatment and both had suffered badly from neglect.”

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