A dog owner has been banned from keeping pets after puppies were found living in squalid and cramped cupboards inside his home.
Gary Peterkin, 47, of Wayford Street, Battersea, had three dogs and four puppies inside the tiny spaces with barely any room for the animals to move.
RSPCA inspectors visited the address in July last year after receiving reports from concerned neighbours.
A three-year-old greyhound called Kit was discovered living in a dark cupboard with her four puppies, aged six to eight years old. There was no ventilation or food and the cupboard was covered in urine soaked newspaper.
A Lakeland terrier called Penny was being kept in the hallway, while a four-year-old greyhound cross called Spring was shut inside a small bathroom with no food and little space to move around.
RSPCA inspector Esther Lincoln said: “It was horrible finding these poor dogs squashed into such small, confined spaces and filthy conditions.
“None of them had proper bedding, food or water and all were in a poor state of health. Their needs simply weren’t being taken care of – and they were living a miserable life.”
Peterkin was disqualified from keeping all animals for three years following a hearing at Wimbledon Magistrate’s Court.
He was also sentenced to a six month community order, a curfew between 7pm and 8am as well as £560 court costs.
