A heartbroken dog owner is demanding answers after her pet died hours after she dropped him off at a boarding kennels.
Dawn O’Brien, 40, left Marshall at North Glassock Kennels in Fenwick , East Ayrshire, on March 31 as she prepared to go on holiday in Tenerife.
Before she even left home however she received a phone call telling her there had been an accident and Marshall - a Jack Russell and French bulldog cross - had died.
Dawn said she was told Marshall had climbed his kennel and was hanged, suffocating for 10 minutes before he died.
Now she is desperate for answers as she does not believe the story she was told by the kennels.
Dawn told the Daily Record : “I was in shock and screaming.
His death has been heartbreaking. I have an eight-year-old son and he is absolutely devastated too. It has all just been so awful.
"I am having nightmares and not sleeping. A four-year-old healthy dog has gone into a kennel and died.
"They gave me a story of how he died and have since retracted it.
"I got the call when I was still at home and they said there had been an accident. I asked if he was okay and they said no, he had passed away.
"They said he had climbed the kennel and got his snout stuck in the lid. He was hanging there and they were only out of the room for 10 minutes. When they came back, he had dropped onto the floor.
"I cannot wholly say the kennels are responsible, it could have been an accident, but I believe they have been negligent.
"I just want them to care that my dog has died and make sure it doesn't happen again."
Dawn's sister Nicola met the owner of the kennels at Valley Vets in Kilmarnock as Dawn was too distressed to go herself.
Dawn was refunded the money she paid for Marshall's 15-night stay - which cost roughly £165 - and said the kennels paid for her pet's cremation, urn and a cast of his paw.
In a statement, North Glassock Kennels said: "All at North Glassock Kennels and Cattery are upset at the death of Marshall O’Brian.
"The body was taken to the local Veterinary Surgery, which was paid for by kennel owner Mrs Leslie, along with the cremation and mementos as requested by the owners. The owners did not ask for an autopsy at the time, so no cause of death was proven.
"The death was reported to Kilmarnock County Council health and safety department (the kennel licence issuer); all required procedures were followed.
"Professional bodies, The Scottish Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) and Kilmarnock County Council Health and Safety Department carried out separate inspections after and relating to the death. No reports have yet been sent out or published."
A spokesman for East Ayrshire Council said: "East Ayrshire Council was notified of an incident where a dog unfortunately died at a licensed boarding facility in East Ayrshire.
"The premises were visited and found to be complying with the licence conditions."
The Scottish SPCA confirmed they attended North Glassock Kennels and referred the matter to East Ayrshire Council.
