A West Lothian family have been left devastated after their pet dog was cremated while they were on holiday.
Pablo, a two-year-old French Bulldog, was dropped off at Scrub a Dug Dug in Whitburn by Adam Gardner McLean before he jetted off to Turkey with his partner and son.
Despite Pablo being full of life before they left, 11 days into the trip Adam received a text from the kennel informing them their pet had sadly passed away, reports the Record.
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Adam, a car salesman, was then told by the kennel owner that she had already cremated the pet before informing the family he had died. Adam, his partner Gemma, 29, and son Cody, eight, have been left outraged by the decision made by the kennel without their say-so.
Adam, from Longridge, told the Record: "I got a text from Joan saying she had been trying to get a hold of us but our phones never rang.
"She said she found Pablo dead after taking him for a walk earlier in the morning and that he had been sick. Then she took Pablo to ICarePetCrem and had him cremated 10 hours before she told us he had died.
"She told the crematorium she had our permission to cremate Pablo. She said he had been sick on and off for a few days but she didn't try to contact us or attempt to take him to the vet.
"Gemma burst out crying as soon as she saw the text message saying he was dead. Then we had to explain to our son what had happened. It was horrible.
"The news was hard enough to hear as it is, without the whole aftermath of everything.
"We don't have camera footage and we couldn't get a post mortem because he was cremated without us knowing so we will never be able to prove anything."
In another turn of events, Adam contacted the crematorium directly who he alleges told him Pablo was 'stiff and cold' with his harness still on in the boot of Joan Barr's car - the owner of the kennel.
He also claims staff at the crematorium told him Joan refused for workers to pick up the deceased pet and insisted on taking him there herself.
The 30-year-old continued: "The owner of the crematorium said Pablo arrived in a cage, with his legs outstretched and his harness on. The crate was covered in blankets.
"He has worked in the business for 20 years and believed Pablo had been dead for 12 to 15 hours when he arrived."
When the family returned from Turkey on Saturday, June 24, they collected Pablo's ashes from ICarePetCrem directly. Adam says Joan is now ignoring his calls, messages and even attempts to speak to her at her house.
He added: "It has been a horrible week. My son is gutted, he played with Pablo everyday.
"Maybe it was an accident but something doesn't seem right. I want to make sure other dog owners are aware of what happened to Pablo."
A West Lothian Council spokesperson said: "We have been made aware of an alleged incident regarding a dog which may have died whilst in the custody of an individual. "We will be investigating the allegation. We are unable to comment further at this time."
A spokesperson for the SSPCA said: "The Scottish SPCA received a call regarding a dog that had died while in the care of an unregistered boarder while his owners were on holiday.
"We are looking into this case and have referred the matter to the local authority."
Scrub a Dug Dug owner Joan Barr was contacted for comment by the Daily Record.
