A Wiltshire couple have been left devastated after their 10-month-old dog was killed by a train while staying with a licenced boarding home.
Ellie and Simon Chudleigh, of Calne, left their Golden Retriever Honey in the care of licenced dog boarders We Are Happy Dogs in Minety late last November.
The pair visited New York for Simon’s birthday in their first holiday abroad for 14 years, leaving their larger dogs Honey and Meg with the boarding home.
But on the second day of their trip, they received a call notifying them that Honey had been killed by a train after running over a kilometre from where she was being walked off lead.
Honey, who was permitted to be walked off the lead, had been missing for around an hour when she was found in devastating circumstances.
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“Honey was our beautiful girl. She was only just 10-months old when she was killed. She was the most happy, friendly and playful girl.
“We are beyond devastated, and her best friend Meg is missing her terribly.”
While the Chudleighs gave permission for both Honey and Meg to be walked off the lead, they feel that more care should have been taken over where and when they were allowed to roam during exercise, particularly just days into their stay.
Ellie added: “We appreciate dogs can be mischievous and run around but Honey wasn’t a wayward dog, and we have spent lots on training her.
“A lot of people I know are outraged, we felt let down by their duty of care and I thought they would use better judgement if there were train tracks nearby, a mile is not far for an active dog.
“We’ve never had any written acknowledgement or apology and that bugs me because it was their responsibility to keep her safe.”
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A spokesperson added: “We are deeply upset by the tragic accident involving Honey, and we do wish to express our heartfelt sympathy to all those affected.
“The loss of Honey has caused immense sadness and distress to everyone here as it has to many others, and it has been a devastating experience for all of us.
“It is simply not correct to suggest that we are indifferent to the emotional impact of this tragedy, the hurt we also experienced and are continuing to experience is profound.
“We will continue to cooperate fully with all parties involved and we remain committed to transparency and doing what is right.”
They emphasised written authorisation had been given to walk both dogs off lead and there had been no agreement for this to only take place in an enclosed field.
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The firm says Honey ran for between 1.3km and 1.7km before reaching the train tracks and that she was not near this danger while being walked.
We Are Happy Dogs added that evidence of their efforts to find Honey has been submitted to the principal licencing officer at Wiltshire Council.
A spokesperson added: “After running off and despite persistent attempts at recalling them both, only Meg reacted as instructed.
“Honey continued to run for at least 1.3km from our location.
“The principal licencing officer at Wiltshire Council was notified on the same day.
“They have acknowledged the event as a tragic accident and have confirmed that all our paperwork and actions were in order.”
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