A SHIVERING and starving puppy had to be put down after being neglected and dumped in a bin bag by her Hampshire owner.

Seven-month-old Narla was left in such a horrific condition that vets were unable to tell exactly what breed she was.

Now the owner who mistreated the puppy has been banned indefinitely from owning an animal by a court.

Southampton Magistrates Court heard that Michelle Brown, 28, abandoned the dog covered in urine and faeces in a cardboard box hidden inside a bin bag near a playground on the Hazel Farm estate, Totton.

Narla was discovered by a dog walker in a black bin liner to find the suffering animal struggling to breathe.

The puppy, thought to be a Staffie cross, had been so hungry that she had started to eat the box and had so many infections from such poor living conditions that she couldn’t even open her eyes.

Eventually vets were forced to put down the mistreated animal and were only able to track down Brown thanks to Narla being microchipped.

Brown, of Jessica Crescent, in Totton, told inspectors that she thought the dog was dead and buried it in a hole in the garden, but eventually admitted she neglected the puppy.

The mother-of-three told the court she is a full-time carer for her partner who has cerebral palsy and herself battles severe depression, which could have contributed to her serious neglect of the new pet.

In a statement read out to the court, the dog walker who found Narla said her dogs kept sniffing a particular area in the field near some bushes and as she got closer she heard a faint whimpering sound and knew immediately that it was a puppy.

A man climbed through the brambles and found a black bin liner with the dog inside.

The woman’s statement said: “We ripped the bag open and both backed away because of an overpowering smell of ammonia.

“When I first saw the puppy I was extremely upset and very distressed.”

She took Narla home and tried to clean her eyes because they were forced shut from an infection which was making her weep, but the puppy seemed too distressed.

The court was told that Narla was severely malnourished and dehydrated and vets guessed that she had been starving for between four and eight weeks.

Her body had started to shut down because of malnourishment and she had picked up infections, her breathing was shallow and she was so weak she couldn’t stand or lift her head.

The vet was forced to put her down because Narla would not have recovered from the infections and RSPCA Inspector Penny Baker visited Brown to investigate what had happened.

Prosecuting, Sarah Wheadon said: “On entering the house Inspector Baker noticed a strong smell of urine.

“She told Miss Brown that Narla had been found alive dumped in a box in a bin bag but had been euthanised.

“ Inspector Baker found Miss Brown’s behaviour very odd - she didn’t cry or get angry.”

Brown said Narla was poorly and thought it was because of the weed killer she had put down in the garden.

The next day Brown said she found Narla laying still and she didn’t appear to be breathing so she dug a hole in the garden, put her puppy in a bin bag and buried her.

The court was told that Inspector Parker could not find any evidence of a hole in the garden but Miss Brown insisted that someone must have dug up the grave and stolen Narla.

Defending, Raymond Tan said that Brown’s Staffordshire bull terrier, which she no longer owns, had worms and was also malnourished.

He said: “Miss Brown accepts that she neglected her animals. She was juggling too many things, looking after her partner, her children and also having severe depression and did not give the dogs enough attention.”

Miss Brown was given a 12 week suspended sentence and has been disqualified indefinitely from owning any animal as well as ordered to pay £630.