A woman has issued a warning to UK pet owners after her dog died while in the care of a neglectful dog-sitter who lied about being licensed.
UK mum Lauren Hauxwell, 36, jetted off on a dream holiday to Turkey with her her daughter Myah, 9, leaving their puppy in the care of a dog-sitter who had been 'highly recommended' online.
However, their £1,750 holiday was ruined when Lauren received the devastating news that their six-month-old Samoyed puppy, Boo, had died due to a gastroenteritis infection.
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The young pup was a new addition to the family, with Lauren getting Boo for Myah following the 'trauma' of multiple surgeries and being fitted with a bionic eye in America.
Lauren and Myah were told the devastating news of their dog's death two days before the end of their trip, and immediately tried to book a flight home but were unable to afford the extra £400 cost. Instead, the pair spent their last couple of days in Turkey trying to come to terms with her loss before making the journey home.
Unfortunately, their flight back to the UK wasn't a smooth one, with their plane having to make an emergency landing in Austria after another passenger went into anaphylactic shock due to a nut allergy.
Once the pair landed back in the UK, Lauren set about understanding what had happened to Boo - with aesthetician shocked to discover the dog-sitter had lied to her on multiple occasions.
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The vet was able to confirm that Boo died of a gastroenteritis infection, however, Lauren was horrified to learn that the dog-sitter had given lied to her about what happened in the hours leading to the pup's death.
Lauren explained that she had been messaging the dog-sitter for updates while they were away, with the sitter telling her Boo was fine at 6pm. Lauren later received another message at 3am informing her the puppy was 'very poorly'.
After speaking to her vet, Lauren later learnt the sitter had told the vet Boo was being sick and having diarrhoea by 4.30pm, which directly contradicted the text she received.
"I believe she was on her own. Why did she leave her six hours before seeking any medical advice or informing us," Lauren said.
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"The business owner also said that she didn’t have other animals boarding with her which I found out later, she did and there were other dogs there. She obviously didn’t move the other dogs away either."
The inconsistencies surrounding Boo's death wasn't the biggest shock for Lauren, after she was dealt a second devastating blow when it turned out the sitter didn't even have a license.
"I had not used this particular dog-sitter before, as I have trusted dog boarders I’ve previously gone to and on occasions asked my friends to look after my dog," Lauren explained, adding that she would've never used the sitter if she knew the truth about the license.
"As the holiday was a last-minute trip for myself and my daughter, those options weren't available, so I reached out for recommendations and this one was highly recommended by people online."
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The aesthetician now wants to raise awareness amongst other pet owners so the same thing doesn't happen to another dog.
"The dog-sitter lied to me by saying she was fully insured with 14 years of experience," Lauren said, adding that she was now trying to sue the sitter.
"We're devastated and we just don’t want it to happen to another dog. I wish I’d checked that she was registered, then I wouldn’t have left her with her."
Topics: UK News
Brenna Cooper