A 44-year-old St George’s man has been charged with causing unnecessary suffering of an American bulldog.Otis Cann Smith denies the charge.SPCA inspector Glyn Roberts told Magistrates’ Court he and a colleague responded to a report of an emaciated dog in poor condition at Mullet Bay Road, in St George’s on November 15, 2011.They found the dog “tied to a heavy boat chain in the back yard next to an igloo-type kennel for shelter”.Mr Roberts said: “The dog was extremely skinny, I could see its bones and the bumps of its spine down its back and I could see the dog’s rib bones and hips.“We had some dog biscuits in a bucket. It appeared the dog was very hungry, extremely underweight and emaciated, with no bedding, but he had a kennel and water.”There was also an empty food dish “upturned with nothing in it”.Mr Roberts said he scanned the dog for a microchip and discovered it was registered as a dog listed as “deceased”.He and his colleague returned to the scene the next day with two police officers and a warrant to seize the dog. The warrant was left on the back door of the premises where the dog was kept.“When we returned the dog still had no food. The food bowl was in the same position, it was exactly the same as the previous day,” he said.The dog was taken to Endsmeet Animal Hospital for examination, then on to the SPCA where it remains.The case continues before Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo on November 8.