One of the dogs was found squatting at the back of one of the kennels, unable to move as the chain was twisted and had debris tangled through it.
SPCA Auckland chief inspector Vicki Border estimated the dogs had been without food for weeks and were just days from death.
"Someone had just tied them up and left them to die," she said.
The dogs were rushed to Auckland for emergency medical treatment.
"It was touch and go for the first few days. Often in cases this serious the animals don't survive because too much damage has already been done. One of the dogs didn't make it. [It] was sadly too damaged to recover and eventually had to be put down," Ms Border said.
The surviving dog, named Cassie, made a "miracle recovery" and is now ready to be put up for adoption.
In court on Thursday, Cassie's former owner was disqualified from owning a dog again for eight years. Griffiths was sentenced to 100 hours of community work and ordered to pay reparation of $1876.
Ms Border said the sentence was a "pretty good result".
"Particularly the eight-year dog-owning ban. But the dogs have already paid a far higher price.
"The state of the dogs when they were rescued by SPCA Auckland was horrific - one of the worst cases of neglect I have seen in all my years as an inspector," Ms Border said.
"After just 21 days in SPCA Auckland care, Cassie was like a different dog. She is now well on her way to being the happy and healthy dog she deserves to be.
"We're putting her up for adoption late next week and we're confident she'll find a loving forever home.
She said the 2-year-old was a very laidback dog who loves people and is good with kids: "I would describe her as extremely affectionate and trusting, which is amazing considering what she's been through.
"She loves being with people. Wherever you are, she'll be happy to be there too."
Keen to adopt?
People interested in adopting Cassie must fill out an SPCA Auckland dog adoption form, which can be downloaded here: http://www.spca.org.nz/files/documents/DogAdoptionApplication.pdf
