A man kept six bulldogs for regular dog fights in squalid conditions alongside the bloodied corpse of another hound for two days, a court has heard.
Alexander Walker pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering and failing to care for his dogs after police caught him digging a grave for a dead dog in woods.
The bulldog called Major died after being savagely attacked in a park by another dog two days before the find, Manchester magistrates heard.
The 37-year-old kept three adult American Bulldogs and three puppies next to the wounded corpse at his home in Prestwich, Manchester, for two days.
After following Walker to his flat an inspector found the floor was filled with rubbish and needles. All of the animals had severe wounds from regular fights and excrement was caked into their paws.
Paul McCormick, representing the RSPCA, said the stench could be picked up outside. He said: "The inspector realised the smell was emanating from the property, and saw a swarm of flies. He could see a large amount of excrement, both old and new, all over the floor. There was so much it was impossible not to step in it."
The remains of a cannabis factory were also found, and the only food in the flat was a piece of cake next to Major's corpse.
Unemployed Walker, of Windsor Crescent, said he had bought his first American Bulldog after being stabbed in the chest in 2011 and kept dogs for protection.