Man avoids prison after starving dog so badly they had to be put to sleep

The staffie, Princess, that Carl Playfair, of Blythe Road in Walthamstow, neglected resulting in a a suspended prison sentence and ban from having dogs for 10 years
-Credit: (Image: RSPCA)


A man has avoided being put behind prison bars after leaving his dog so skinny that she had to be put down. Carl Playfair was given a suspended prison sentence and banned from having dogs after his horrible neglect of the pooch.

Playfair, of Blythe Road in Walthamstow, left his Staffie, called Princess, in a room riddled with urine and faeces. Nicola Thomas, an RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer, attended Playfair's home on December 11 last year alongside police and firefighters.

Princess was seized by police and taken to a vet but her poor condition meant she was put to sleep to end her awful suffering. A vet report heard by the court claimed the dog was suffering from dehydration and weighed only 10.45kg, MyLondon reports.

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The dog's ribs, pelvic bones and spine were all visible from a distance and she scored the lowest score possible (one from nine) on a body condition grading. The vet decided that Princess' emaciation and dehydration were the result of liver disease and it was also possible that a lack of food and water had contributed to her losing weight.

In mitigation, the court heard that the defendant was suffering from alcoholism and mental health problems. The vet said: "I would estimate that it would take at least three weeks to reach this level of emaciation if the dog had previously been a normal weight. She would have been suffering for at least three weeks and, possibly, much longer.

"Her condition was obvious and would be readily apparent to a lay person and could have been avoided or at least reduced by seeking veterinary advice as soon as she started to lose weight or show other signs of illness."

ARO Thomas said in a statement presented to the court: “I could see every bone in the dog's hips, spine and legs and the sides of her head were sunken in. Her eyes appeared to be cloudy looking and she was weak and having difficulty standing.

“At one point she did stand up, but it was for a very short period of time and she was wobbling on her legs. In the room she was in there was urine and faeces on the floor, along with empty food wrappings and some empty dog food tins that had what appeared to be teeth marks in the metal.”

Playfair was given a suspended prison sentence and banned from owning dogs for ten years. He must also complete a six-month alcohol treatment programme.