On 8 July 2025, the dog's owner went to the local police in Malesherbes, in the Loiret region of France. He claimed he had found the female Malinois wandering the streets.
The police immediately started the standard procedure for abandoned animals.
Severely malnourished
Sybelle was then taken in by the local pound. When she was examined, her condition was deeply worrying. The poor thing was skin and bones, with her ribs clearly showing. Sybelle was suffering from severe malnutrition, which raised suspicions of animal neglect.
While the pound staff were actively looking for the dog's owner, several people contacted them to reveal the awful truth. The owner had actually been trying to get rid of the dog for several weeks.
Faced with the evidence, the owner finally admitted he had lied. To explain Sybelle's shocking condition, he claimed he had been going through a period of depression.
However, legal proceedings were launched, and the man was prosecuted for abandonment and animal neglect. Following this, he failed to show up in court several times, missing both his initial summons and the hearing at the Orléans court.
Eight months in prison
On 10 June 2026, the Orléans court sentenced Sybelle's former owner to eight months in prison. He was also handed a lifetime ban on keeping pets. Animal welfare advocates hope this ruling will serve as a warning to others, given the rising number of abandonment and neglect cases.
Fortunately, Sybelle's story has a happy ending. The dog was quickly adopted and is now enjoying the love of her new family, living a happy life far away from the suffering of her past.