Elvis the bulldog dies whilst in the care of unregistered Luton dogsitter
A Luton couple were left distraught after they returned from holiday to discover that their beloved bulldog Elvis had died whilst in the care of an unregistered dogsitter.
Judy and Robert Robinson, of Streatley, had booked their two British bulldogs Elvis, five, and Mildred, two, into Wagtailz, Icknield Road, from June 12 to June 19 during a mini break.
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Hide AdRun from home by couple Jane and Jaja Santana, they had used Wagtailz in 2016, happy with the service.
However, after couple returned home they received a text the next morning to say Elvis had died in the night.
Judy claims: “We went round straight away.
“I walked into the kitchen and saw Elvis laying on the floor and Mildred laying next to him. Her head was nodding in stress and there were about four other dogs walking over Elvis!
“We’d got the text at about 7am - but you don’t text somebody that!”
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Hide AdElvis was cremated in Cambridge his body surrounded by roses.
However, since their stay at Wagtailz Judy claims that Mildred has become ill.
She alleged: “When she came home I thought Mildred had sores on her chin.
“I took her to the vets, but they treated her for ‘dog bites’!
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Hide Ad“She’s also had diarrhea and conjunctivitis, which the vet said could be due to stress.”
It is unclear why Elvis, who Judy claims was in full health, died.
The Luton News contacted Ms Santana, who said: “A dog did die when it was in our care. The dog was perfectly well cared for.
“We went to bed and when we came down in the morning he had died.
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Hide Ad“I want to apologise profusely for informing Judy by text. It was early in the morning and I didn’t have any idea when they were coming back.
“When we went to bed Elvis was fine, lying on the kitchen tiles.
“Elvis spent most time here; the kitchen is the coolest room, or he’d look for shade under the shed.
“The kitchen door to the living room had been left wide open ever since the Wednesday. There was a large fan in the living room since Thursday.
“Mildred did not get bites here. The dogs did not fight.
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Hide Ad“I paid for Elvis to be cremated at Judy’s request. She also insisted that she paid the boarding fee of £50 but I returned it.
“Never ever will I board dogs again. It was my decision to close the business.
“We did have pet sitting insurance. We weren’t registered with the council; we’d just discovered that we needed to be.
“To anybody who is boarding dogs, please get yourself a council boarding permit.”
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Hide AdA Luton Borough Council spokesman confirmed that Wagtailz has never been registered with the council.
An RSPCA spokeswoman said: “We are investigating an incident involving the death of a dog in Luton after being contacted by a member of the public who reported the matter.
“As this is an active investigation we cannot provide any further information at this stage.”
Judy claims she did not find out that Jane was unregistered until after Elvis had died.