A bulldog has died after allegedly being left inside a hot conservatory by a dog sitter during this week's heatwave.
Nikki Morton, from Caerphilly, was left heartbroken after 21-month-old Teddie passed away overnight last Sunday (July 17), reports WalesOnline.
Hoping to to prepare their pet for their absence during a trip to Jamaica later this year, she booked the dog sitter last week after finding the firm on Google and the sitter listed on a page alongside five-star reviews.
But just one day after leaving Teddie at the dogsitter's home in Barry, Nikki received a phone call telling her the dog had died in a message she claims was delivered with "no sympathy, no care... nothing other than 'your dog is dead'".
The devastated owner says the dogsitter had left the bulldog alone in the conservatory with five other dogs despite clear instructions to put him in a cage she provided instead, which she described as his "safe space".
Nikki says she received a call at 7:48am the following morning informing her of Teddie's death, where the sitter allegedly admitted that the dog had been sleeping in the conservatory.
Commenting on her loss, Nikki, 49, told WalesOnline: "I am angry and absolutely heartbroken because it was so avoidable.
"My house feels empty and my heart feels empty... Everyone in our street knew him.
"He couldn't walk down the street without someone fussing him. He loved running around the garden chasing tennis balls. He loved life and he loved people."
Nikki says she has since contacted the Vale of Glamorgan's licensing team, which told her the sitter does not hold a dog boarding licence.
A spokesperson from Rover said: "At Rover most of us are pet parents ourselves and our hearts go out to Teddie’s family and all who loved him.
"We are committed to supporting Teddie’s owner during this challenging time.
"Our 24/7 trust and safety team is currently investigating the situation. We are removing the sitter from our platform, preventing them from offering further pet care services through Rover.
They added that they had been "proactively providing safety information to members of our community" to help protect pets during the "unprecedented" heatwave.
A South Wales Police spokeswoman said on Thursday: "Yesterday we received a report concerning the death of a dog which happened on Monday, July 18.
"Inquiries are ongoing and anyone with information should contact us via this link or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 quoting occurrence 2200242416.”
