A heartbroken dog owner whose pet escaped doggie day care only to be killed, wants strict home boarding regulations introduced in Northern Ireland.
Matthew Norwood’s Yorkshire Terrier, Bobby, was fatally injured on a dual carriageway while he had a search party out looking for him.
Matthew from Co Antrim, received a phone call Gillian Bell, the owner of Country Clip Dog Grooming & Day Care, to say the little dog had vanished from their field during exercise time on February 1.
Read more:
He explained: “As I was driving to collect Bobby when the owner called to say she couldn’t find him. He’d been in a field with six other dogs and escaped unnoticed.
"My wife and I had no idea the field they used was not secure or we’d never have allowed Bobby in there off-lead. We later discovered the field perimeter is patched up with chicken wire and sheep fencing and is not secure.
“I rushed to the area and just started looking. I called my wife, parents and friends to come and help search for Bobby and we got in touch with Lost Paws NI who were brilliant.
“Together we looked for him for more than two hours with little input from the dog sitter. Then I got a phone call at 7.40pm from a driver who had knocked down and killed Bobby on the dual carriageway.
“He said he left his body under a crash barrier so we could collect him. We were absolutely devastated. I had to call my wife who was tramping through fields while pregnant looking for Bobby, and I had to let her know the search was over, our wee man was dead.
“I think it was the worst phone call I’ve had to make. But we still had to find him and bring him home. We didn’t want him lying out there, he’d never spent a night on his own in his life and we didn’t want this to be the first. But despite searching the road for another two hours, we couldn’t find Bobby’s body and we were forced to call off the search as it was getting dark and dangerous.
“A family member updated our social media post to let people know Bobby had been killed and the business owner called me at 11pm. I was in no fit state to take the call.
“Later she called my parents to say she had found Bobby. The following day my parents collected his remains from her business, brought him back home and I carried him in my arms into the vets.
“The whole family is absolutely devastated as Bobby meant so much to us all. He was more than a dog to us, he was a friend and companion, a family member and our first wee one.
"My wife and I had been preparing him for the arrival of our baby, getting him used to baby clothes and equipment, and we felt he was going to be a great big brother.
“But now he’s gone and our baby is not even here yet. I feel so guilty about taking him to that day care. We were both working and wanted him to spend that day with other dogs rather than be on his own in our house. The hole that has been left in our home and in our lives is hard to explain. We are bereft and I am angry that this whole situation was avoidable.
“We trusted the business to look after our dog and they failed us, the bare minimum of their job is to keep dogs in their care safe.
"No other family should go through what we’re going through. I received no further communication from the dog sitter after that, and was offered no apology since."
While trying to make sense of what happened to Bobby, Matthew discovered that Northern Ireland has no rules or regulations about setting up or running home boarding facilities.
He said: “It’s unbelievable. There is no way for me to hold the business to account for Bobby’s escape and subsequent death. We entrusted him into their care, he escaped and got killed and nothing happens.
“I contacted the council who incorrectly told me DAERA licences these premises but they don’t. No licence exists here and we need that to change.
“In England they have a law covering the home boarding of dogs licensing but here we have nothing. We need a full review of laws around dogs that are fit for 2023 and beyond to protect the dogs and their families from situations like this.
Proprietor of Country Clip Dog Grooming & Day Care, Gillian Bell, was approached for comment about Bobby’s care and confirmed she still does not know how the little dog escaped. She released the statement below.
“ I was with Bobby all day apart from going into my house for my lunch. The dogs were placed into my secure doggy living room while I had my lunch. Around 4.30pm we prepared to go to my field for some exercise. My husband and son helped me to get the dogs down to the field.
“Bobby was on his lead until we got through the double security gates. All owners who bring their dog to Country Club are made aware that I have a 100% secure area for their dog when in my care. B ut I also have a field that we have as secure as we can with chicken wire but we cannot say it’s 100% secure. If my clients are happy for their dog to be off their lead, that’s their own choice.
“Both Mr and Mrs Norwood were made aware of this the first time that they left Bobby. They agreed that Bobby could go into the field off his lead. It’s just unfortunate that he got away.
“I was taking pictures of them but as I looked around, I couldn’t see Bobby. “I panicked and started calling his name. My son and husband stayed with the other dogs while I searched and then rang Mr Norwood to explain.
“Another customer said she’d seen a wee Yorkie in the village. She had stopped and tried to get him but he ran off. We drove over to see if we could see him. I messaged our community group to put it onto their page, which they didn’t do.
“Mr Norwood’s mum called us that evening to see if we’d heard or seen anything. She saw my distress and how sorry I was. Myself and my family and friends and customers went out looking for Bobby but there was no sign of him.
“And later that evening I saw a social media post saying Bobby had been hit and unfortunately killed by a car. I immediately rang Mr Norwood but he didn’t answer. I rang his dad and he said they would collect Bobby from the roadside in the morning as it was dark. Myself, my husband and son searched the edges of the carriage way searching with a torch until we found Bobby.
“I called Mr Norwood’s dad and he asked me to take Bobby to my house so they could collect him the next day.
“When they arrived they would have seen how totally devastated I was at this terrible time. I was crying and I asked them to let Mr and Mrs Norwood know how absolutely sorry I was.
"They told me Mr Norwood was very angry. I would have been angry too if I had left my dog in day care and they didn’t return. However, my setup was explained to them and they agreed to let their dog into an area which they knew wasn’t secure.
“I have owned Country Club for nine years and have had hundreds of dogs through my doors and each one of them is cared for to the best of my ability and I will continue with my setup.
“Now ask each owner to sign a document stating whether they want their dog to be kept in my 100% secure area or are happy for them to be off-lead in my field.
“I have business insurance but I do not hold a licence for day care as they do not exist in Northern Ireland. I am sorry Mr and Mrs Norwood have had to deal with the terrible loss of Bobby in this way and I am totally devastated that they felt I haven’t apologised enough.
"I do agree that it would be good to have regulations in place for dog owners along with the business owners so that we can prove that we have all measures in place. . We have it in place for children so why not for our dogs."
- Stray dog found in Ballymena reunited with owner in Glasgow
PSNI Operation Subrision crack down on illegal hunting with dogs
For all the latest dog news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here.
To get the latest dog news straight to your inbox sign up to our free newsletter
