A couple from Stroud have been banned from owning pets for two years after their Mastiff dog 'Scrum' was confiscated by the RSPCA due to its poor skin condition.

Ottilie Smith, 33, and James Gardner, 38, of Gibson close, Stroud, had not sought treatment for nine year old named Scrum's 'very significant skin condition,' Gloucester crown court was told on Friday.

A concerned member of the public reported the dog's condition to the RSPCA and inspectors who attended the house ordered the couple to take Scrum for treatment - warning them about the consequences if they did not comply.

Prosecutor Kevin Withey told the crown court "When the officers returned to the couple's home they noticed the dog had not been treated and seized it.

"They took the dog to one of their veterinary specialists who examined the animal and said it was underweight and was suffering from alopecia and other skin ailments.

"The RSPCA funded the animal's treatment, enabling its full recovery."

Smith and Gardner had been convicted of animal cruelty by Cheltenham Magistrates Court at an earlier hearing in September but they lodged an appeal to the crown court against the sentence and they refused to sign over the dog so that the RSPCA could rehome it.

The court was told on Friday, however, that the pair had dispensed with the services of their lawyer and had failed to turn up themselves to pursue the appeal.

The Judge, Recorder Adam Vaitilingham QC, then proceeded to hear the appeal in their absence.

He and two JP members of his bench concluded that the sentence imposed by the magistrates was appropriate and dismissed the appeal.

The court also formally assigned ownership of Scrum to the RSPCA and issued a disqualification order preventing Smith and Gardner from owning domestic animals for two years.

He said that the compensation order of £1,200 imposed on the couple by the magistrates would have to be paid and he ordered that both Smith and Gardner pay £100 each towards the appeal costs.