A distraught dog owner has been left with a £8,500 vet bill after his lurcher seriously injured itself when escaping from an unlicensed dog sitter.
Owner Alex Marshall claims his dog jumped over the sitter's garden wall and vanished for 10 days.
He has now issued a warning about the dangers of using 'cowboy mini kennels' this summer, as licensed ones fill up on bookings.
As more Brits bought dogs during the Covid lockdowns while they were stuck at home, kennel space is needed more than ever as travel restrictions have eased allowing more overseas holidays.
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Alex used the sitter in December last year without any problems but has sworn against them after Juno made her 10 day escape in March.
Juno was eventually found with shocking injuries near a train track after she had been electrocuted, it's feared.
Railway workers rushed the two-year-old dog to the vets - but she had to have one of her back legs amputated and Alex has been left to foot the bill.
He had paid £50 for the sitter to look after Juno while he worked nights as an NHS care worker.
Alex warned other dog owners to be careful who they leave their pets with after his ordeal.
Alex, of Mountain Ash, near Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales said: “I’m pleased we got Juno back. But angry that she’s had to go through all this and it could have been avoided."
He said he contacted the dog sitter but he has since blocked him online.
“The man said he would reimburse some of the money we paid,” he added. "But he hasn’t and I believe he still looking after dogs in his flat and running a dog walking business.
“I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through what we have. So please check wherever you take your dog that they have a license, a DRB check and are insured.”
He has been forced to set up a GoFundMe to pay the vets bills.
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