Dog owner's ‘rehomed' pet was among 37 found dead in rescue centre horror

Scottish Sun

6 days ago

Serious concerns had been raised over the animal shelter
CRUELTY PROBE Dog owner's 'rehomed' pet was among 37 found dead in rescue centre horror
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A DOG owner was left devastated after cops revealed her 'rehomed' pet was among 37 found dead within a scandal-hit rescue centre.
Hayley Lucas, 43, told how she and husband Paul, 45, had made the heartbreaking decision to give up Mastiff cross Frank after he developed behaviour issues.
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Mastiff cross Frank was found dead at Save a Paw in Billericay, Essex
Credit: Supplied
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Hayley Lucas and husband Paul were left devastated at the grim discovery
Credit: Supplied
But she raised concerns over the Save a Paw business after suspecting they had not found her pooch a new 'home for life', as they'd promised.
She was then given the heartbreaking news that a swoop on the centre in Essex had uncovered the remains of dozens of mutts — including Frank.
Hayley, of Mosstodloch, Moray, said: 'We had been waiting for answers but the police said they had bad news and that he was one of the deceased dogs.
'It's been horrific. It's worse than I feared and all I've been thinking about.
'It was hard enough giving Frank up. I struggled with the decision for such a long time.
'I thought we were doing the right thing. To find out that we sent him to his death is just absolutely horrific.'
Hayley got Frank as a puppy two years ago but she and Paul sought help from experts before reluctantly opting to let him go.
He was taken to Save a Paw in January following an online recommendation.
Hayley paid £300 and later the centre claimed the dog had been rehomed.
But she grew suspicious after his chip wasn't updated and discovered that other owners had raised concerns.
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She filed a report about Save a Paw with Action Fraud and the RSPCA in March.
The premises in Billericay were then raided on May 13 by officers from the welfare charity, Essex Police and council staff.
They found the 37 dead dogs as well as 20 live ones in need of veterinary treatment.
Cops arrested two men on suspicion of fraud relating to the transfer of ownership of dogs plus animal cruelty offences.
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Officers raided the dog shelter in Essex as a lone police officer stands outside
Credit: ESSEX Police
One was bailed while Ovaeed Rahman, 25, of Billericay, was charged with causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, breaches of welfare laws and three counts of fraud.
He was remanded in custody and is due back in court again next month.