A family is grieving the death of their beloved bulldog after a dog sitter allegedly left him in a conservatory during the recent heatwave.
Nikki Morton, from Caerphilly, south Wales, left Teddie overnight at a £28-a-day dog boarder, but the next morning she received a call informing her that the 21-month-old dog had died.
Police and the dog-sitting company are now investigating the tragedy after 49-year-old Nikki alleged her pet was kept in the conservatory amid sweltering temperatures.
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"I am angry and absolutely heartbroken because it was so avoidable," she said.
"The conservatory was boiling when we went there that day. It was 27C outside and hotter in there."
She said she found the boarder in Barry on the Rover website, and had dropped Teddie off to get him accustomed to it ahead of an upcoming two-week family holiday in Jamaica.
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"I searched on Google and Rover came up," she recalled.
"It seemed really legit and we found a sitter who sounded like a really nice lady with five-star reviews and everyone raving about her."
She dropped Teddie off at about 6pm, but before 8am the next day the sitter called to inform Nikki that her dog had died.
Nikki said: "I asked where he'd been sleeping and she said: 'Well, the conservatory.'
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"Why would you leave a dog in a glass box in extreme weather conditions? I was sobbing and had to just put the phone down."
Nikki and her husband Glenn then returned to collect Teddie's body.
"My dog was dead on the floor and she had thrown a quilted blanket over him," Nikki said.
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"He was in almost full rigor mortis. The smell was horrendous.
"It's a fully glass conservatory with no blinds. I'm hanging on to the thought that he didn't suffer in the conservatory.
"My house feels empty and my heart feels empty. Everyone in our street knew him. He couldn't walk down the street without someone fussing him. He loved running around the garden chasing tennis balls. He loved life and he loved people.
"The cat is wandering round the house looking for him because they were best mates. He was a huge, huge part of our life. And he was a baby – he had at least another 10 years in him."Credit: Wales News ServiceThe local council's licensing team told her the sitter does not hold a dog boarding licence.
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A Vale of Glamorgan official said: "The licensing department recommends that only licensed dog boarders are used."
A Rover spokesman said: "At Rover most of us are pet parents ourselves and our hearts go out to Teddie’s family and all who loved him.
"We are committed to supporting Teddie’s owner during this challenging time. Our 24/7 trust and safety team is currently investigating the situation. We are removing the sitter from our platform, preventing them from offering further pet care services through Rover.
"Pet safety and the wellbeing of our community is our top priority at Rover. During this unprecedented heatwave in the UK we are proactively providing safety information to members of our community to help protect pets."
A South Wales Police spokeswoman said on Thursday (21 July): "We received a report concerning the death of a dog which happened on Monday, July 18. Inquiries are ongoing."
Featured Image Credit: Wales News Service