An unlicensed dog boarder has been spared jail after a dog died when he was left unattended on a hot summer's day. Hero, a 10.5-stone Leonberger, was left with Charlotte Sutton, 26, in Braintree, Essex, while his family was at a wedding. She left the double-coated dog unattended for a 'significant period' without monitoring him, causing him to overheat on August 2, 2024.
Owner's account and court case
Owner Leighanne Ship said she had previously left her dog with Sutton, but decided to head home a day early because of the summer heat. However, they received a call from Sutton saying Hero was motionless and they did not get home in time to say their goodbyes. Sutton was prosecuted by Braintree District Council who had repeatedly tried to explain the legal requirements for dog boarders to her.
She appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on July 15 where she was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering. She also pleaded guilty to carrying out an animal boarding business without the required licence. Sutton was handed a 26-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £10,000 towards prosecution costs.
Family's grief and anger
Leighanne said: 'We just feel so much rage and anger that someone could just blatantly lie with so much disrespect for the people they're taking the money from, and then not delivering proper care of the animals at all.' She added that the family was sad not to be able to say goodbye to Hero. She told the BBC: 'When your dog dies you expect to be with them at the end, to be able to comfort them in their last moments. That for us has been the hardest part of everything. [It] was the guilt that we felt leaving him with her and not being with him at the end and him being alone and us not being able to comfort him in his final hours.'
