Abandoned in a garage in disgusting conditions, when her mate died she refused to leave his side

This heart-breaking picture shows how a dog abandoned in filthy conditions in a garage refused to leave her mate's side after he died.

Two dog owners have appeared in court in connection with what a judge described as one of the 'worst cases' of animal welfare he had ever seen, DerbyshireLive reports. Tommy Johnson, 31, and Sophie Baker, 25, pleaded guilty to two animal welfare act offences each at earlier hearings.

The court heard that when the pair had moved out to a family member's home, they left two dogs - bull breeds Buster and Layla, behind in their garage. Initially, Johnson had visited the dogs every day to feed them - but this dropped to every few days.

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The RSPCA was contacted by a member of the public reporting that there was a dead dog inside the garage, which was also filled with faeces. When the RSPCA attended, on January 27 this year, the emaciated body of Buster was found in the garage - with Layla refusing to leave his side.

In a statement presented to the court, RSPCA inspector, Louise Marston, said: "Layla looked incredibly sad and it was clear that she was very attached to Buster. In my 12-year career, I have never seen a dog act like this and it was painful to witness, especially given the environmental conditions and the physical conditions of both dogs."

Describing the conditions inside the garage, Ms Marston stated: "I could see that the ground was littered with rubbish which was filthy and covered with dog faeces. There was dog faeces everywhere - it was covering rubbish and offcuts of material/blankets, it was smeared around empty food bowls and a white bucket and it was smeared all over a leather sofa and electrical white goods.