A WIRRAL man who starved his dogs to the point where they looked like 'walking skeletons' has been given a suspended prison sentence and banned from keeping animals for 15 years.

Christopher McGinn - who had already been banned from keeping animals - pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to Reggie and Ronnie, failing to meet their needs and breaching a disqualification order when he appeared before Wirral Magistrates.

The RSPCA became involved on November 30 last year, when police contacted the charity about the two dogs.

They had been called to 29-year-old McGinn's home in Birkenhead on an unrelated matter and found Ronnie and Reggie shut in the kitchen.

RSPCA inspector Naomi Norris said: "Both of the dogs were painfully thin, you could see pretty much every bone in their body - they looked like walking skeletons.

"These should have been big, strapping dogs but they were wasting away.

"Reggie also had an open wound on his back, although we don’t know for sure how he got this wound.

"Put simply, they were both in a very poor condition.

"The environment that they were living in was also dreadful.

"The back yard was completely covered in faeces - it was not suitable for a dog to live in - and both dogs had overgrown claws, which would have made walking uncomfortable.

"In 2007, McGinn was banned from keeping animals for 10 years so he was in breach of his disqualification order when we were called about the dogs.

"It should be clear that when someone is banned from keeping animals, it is to protect further animals from harm.

"Sadly, McGinn breached his ban and as a result, two more dogs suffered".

Staffordshire Bull terrier Ronnie has since been rehomed.

Sadly, Reggie was identified by a police dog legislation officer as a banned breed under Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act, and as a result was put to sleep.

Inspector Norris continued: "This is a very sad ending as Reggie was recovering well and we were hoping to see him into a new home.

"The RSPCA do not make these decisions.

"We do not agree with Breed Specific Legislation and have been campaigning for changes to this law for a long time".

McGinn also received a three-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months and was ordered to pay costs of £385 and a £115 victim surcharge.