A WIRRAL man and woman who left their dogs to suffer with a severe skin disease have been banned from keeping animals for five years.

Barry Faulkner, 49, and Liza Johns, 41, from Harcourt Street in Birkenhead pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to Collie dogs Custard and Tippy by failing to provide veterinary treatment when they appeared before Wirral Magistrates on Monday.

They were also each given a 12 month community order with Faulkner ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work and told to pay £620 in court costs. Johns was also ordered to do 60 hours of unpaid work and must pay £455 in court costs.

The court heard Custard and Tippy were rescued by the RSPCA after members of the public had raised concerns about the dogs with large amounts of fur missing.

RSPCA inspector Anthony Joynes said: “When I went round to their house, the first thing that struck me was that there was a very strong smell of yeast infection in the air.

“Both dogs were nibbling themselves to the point that Custard managed to rip open a sore on her body.

“They were both clearly very itchy and uncomfortable and the smell was really overpowering. I took them to a vet, where they were diagnosed with having mange. It is hard to say how long they were like this for, but they should have been taken to a vet at the earliest opportunity.

“By law we have a duty of care for our pets and veterinary treatment is not something which should be ignored.”

“They pair have dramatically improved, but still have a long way to go.

“Most importantly they're no longer in great discomfort as they were when we rescued them, which has allowed their individual personalities to come out.

“Rather than being obsessed with chewing and scratching themselves, they are now really friendly, inquisitive and playful dogs.”

Both dogs are available for rehoming at the RSPCA’s Wirral branch. Anyone interested in rehoming them can call 0151 638 6318.