A Staten Island man who told a friend he would watch her two dogs while she cared for her dying mother was arrested yesterday after the pooches were found badly neglected, authorities said.

Tino Garuccio, 36, was charged with two counts of animal cruelty after turning himself in at the 123rd Precinct station house, ASPCA spokesman Joseph Pentangelo said.

The suspect told Angela Correa that he’d care for her two small dogs, Cha Cha and Chee Chee, but he allegedly kept them locked in his basement. Cha Cha lost an eye, which had become ulcerated.