Bully: Stockwell woman banned from owning dogs after Patch 'starved to death'

A woman has been banned from keeping dogs for 10 years after her pet "starved" to death.

Zainab Ayinla, 38, of Loughborough Park, Stockwell, was found guilty after a trial of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.

At Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on February 29, she was handed a 10-year ban, fined £300 and ordered to pay £800 in costs.

Her dog, Patch, was described by the court as a "black and white bull breed type dog".

The RSPCA said it was was asked to investigate after Patch's emaciated body was taken to a vet hospital on 17 December 2022. It said the vet described its condition as “shocking”. Patch had lost 13kg since last being seen at the hospital seven months earlier.

According to the RSPCA, Ayinla had called the hospital two months before saying Patch had lost weight, but she failed to keep a scheduled vet appointment. She called again on the morning of December 17 saying Patch was not able to walk, had laboured breathing and was twitching. By the time she got the dog to the vets it had died.

According to the RSPCA, the vet said: “His condition at presentation was shocking: he was significantly underweight with an accountable weight loss of 13kg in the past seven months since the last time he was seen at the hospital in May 2022, with very long nails and bed sores and urine scalding.

“Considering Patch’s presentation on December 17 and the missed appointment in November, is it my professional opinion that Patch went through a significant period of suffering until the time of his death. Would the owner have [had] him brought to us sooner...probably we would have been able to help him, whether from a medical point of view or supporting the owner in providing care for her pet.”

A post mortem report found 92g of plastic material in the dog's stomach, suggesting Patch was able to eat and the most likely cause of death was starvation as a result of inadequate access to nutritious food, said the charity.

RSPCA inspector Philip Norman, who investigated for the animal welfare charity, said: “Animals are completely reliant on their owners to ensure their needs are met. Providing food and water is an essential. Owning an animal is a privilege - and ensuring appropriate care is a key part of the responsibility we have towards them.

"It’s sad that, in this instance, the owner of Patch failed to provide him with a suitable diet and as a result allowed him to suffer for a prolonged period of time.”

Ayinla was deemed unsuitable for unpaid work. In mitigation, she said she had done everything she could for the dog and had sought advice from vets about worming and his weight loss, but that this was not recorded in the hospital records for Patch.