A woman has been charged with animal cruelty for starving her two dogs after a neighbor called in a tip a little too late. Our Tamara Lindstrom has more.

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TOMPKINS COUNTY, N.Y. -- It was a brutal life for two small dogs.

"Our vet staff estimated that it had been several weeks, if not several months, that they had not been fed," said Jim Bouderau, executive director of the Tompkins County SPCA. "They came in in a pretty emaciated state."

Tompkins County SPCA investigators seized animals from a Newfield home after a concerned neighbor saw the starving dachshunds and called in a tip. But for one dog, it was too late.

"One unfortunately did not make it and passed away," Bouderau said. "But we were able to get the other one out of that situation."

After some time on a feeding tube and a couple of months of loving care, the surviving dog, Sheila, is back to a healthy 14 pounds. She is one of the lucky ones and one of the few whose case will be heard in court.

"They're innocent animals that can't really fight for themselves or speak up for themselves. And the worse part about it is, chances are, these charges will be reduced," Bouderau said.

From the 400 animal cruelty cases investigated in the county last year, only a handful of charges were filed.

"Oftentimes, evidence collection is a really hard thing to do. Obviously some of these cases require surveillance that we have to do. And the biggest challenge is the law is very loose when it comes to these things," Bouderau said.

Sheila's owner will face misdemeanor charges for failing to provide proper sustenance. But Bouderau says it never had to happen.

"We have a food pantry program where we give out food to people who might not be able to afford food for their pets."

A program that could have saved the life of Sheila's sister.

The owner of the dogs, Christine Carpenter of Nob Hill Road in Newfield, is due in court Thursday.

Sheila will be ready for adoption in a couple of weeks.

For more information, or if you'd like to help the SPCA, head to www.spcaonline.com.