A woman from North London has been banned from owning animals for five years after her French bulldog puppy was found close to death from starvation.
Paige Whitechurch, of Roman Road, Muswell Hill appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on 4 September 2025, where she pleaded guilty to failing to meet the welfare needs of her seven-month-old dog, Leo.
On 8 February this year, Whitechurch took Leo to a vet in a severely emaciated and collapsed state. He weighed just 3.34kg and had a body condition score of one out of nine. A vet confirmed he was suffering from hypothermia and described him as being in a life-threatening condition caused by prolonged starvation.
An expert witness vet said, “Leo presented in a life-threatening condition consistent with prolonged nutritional deprivation. It’s possible he had also been left outside in cold weather, contributing to his critical hypothermia. His emaciation, blood abnormalities, and musculoskeletal underdevelopment suggest long-term undernourishment. He was at immediate risk of death and unlikely to have survived without urgent intervention.”
Whitechurch told the vet she had been in hospital and unable to care for Leo. The vet raised concerns about her ability to meet the dog’s ongoing welfare needs.
Leo made a swift recovery under veterinary care, gaining 2kg in just ten days. He was then taken into the care of the RSPCA, where he has fully recovered and has since been rehomed.
RSPCA Inspector Shahnaz Ahmed, who led the investigation, said, “He was bright, alert and mobile, and his body condition had clearly improved since he was first brought in – which was estimated at around three out of nine.”
Whitechurch was banned from keeping animals for five years and ordered to pay £500 in costs, a £120 fine, and a £48 victim surcharge.
The court heard that she had been experiencing health issues, but in sentencing, the judge said, “Leo did not end up in that condition in a short space of time according to the veterinary evidence, and you failed this animal despite your own personal problems.”
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