GRIEVING DOG owners have been left traumatised after learning that the bodies of their pets had been dumped in a field by a pet cremation company.

shocked owners were left reeling after the corpses of the dogs were uncovered by police, who said that the bodies had been laid out in a square. The funeral firm, Peak Pet Cremation, claimed on its website to offer ‘private and dignified arrangement’, at a cost of £120 for cremation, a certificate and the dogs’ ‘ashes’ in an urn.

One victim was Linda Allen, who was told by police that her Border Collie, bourneville, had been amongst the animal found by the police. They had traced her through bourneville’s microchip. The 12-year-old dog had been put down a month earlier after suffering from cancer. Linda had paid for a funeral and cremation at Peak pet Cremation. She told a local paper: ‘We got an urn with ashes in it a few days later. We were very confused when the police said our dog’s body was lying in a field. I stood there in disbelief and shock, then I started crying.’

Upsetting

Linda’s son James, said, ‘He was a member of the family. it’s heartbreaking.’ The 29-year-old, of Hucknall, who has two other dogs called Hamish and Elliot, was asked by police and the RSPCA to identify Bourneville: ‘We wanted to go for our own peace of mind. It wasn't the prettiest of sights - it was quite upsetting. His fur was all wet and matted down, and he had maggots all over him. He was a lovely dog and he deserved better than that. We're just waiting to see what happens next. We're really, really shocked. We're very upset. We paid extra money to get his ashes back and it’s not him."

Normally dogs are cremated together and ashes are not returned but the Brown family paid about £120 to have Bournville cremated alone and to be sent his ashes.

Two of the four dogs which were discovered, including Bournville, originated from Ambivet veterinary clinic derbyshire, which said it was very distressed by the news.

David Stone, business manager of Ambivet, said the dogs were sent to a Derbyshire pet crematorium after they were put down. He said: ‘Our relationship with this company was severed immediately on Tuesday afternoon and alternative arrangements were made with another operator.

‘We feel very distressed by the whole thing. We've visited both the owners concerned.’

Another devastated owner, Angela Moore, was left devastated when her Labrador, Sam, was uncovered in the field in at Lower Hartshay in Derbyshire. He had been put down two weeks earlier amd Angela had also paid the £120 and received Sam’s ‘ashes’.

Peak Pet Cremations later told police that the animals' bodies had been stolen during a robbery at its Heage premises and it did not know why ashes had been sent.

‘The owners of two dogs were traced and so far one has been interviewed by police.

‘The police have liaised with the RSPCA, Amber Valley Environmental Health and the Environment Agency during the investigation. Inquiries are continuing into the allegations.

The dogs are now being kept at Ambivet veterinary clinic while the matter is investigated.

Theft

Owner of Peak Pet Cremations, Jennifer Buxton, says the company has been closed down since the incident. She said: ‘All I know is there was a theft from our premises which obviously included some bagged scrap metal and some deceased pets were taken at the same time.’

But when further questioned she said the theft was not reported to the police because at the time they did not know the animals had been taken. She also said she had been away at the time of the incident and so could not explain why the family had been sent ashes.

A spokeswoman for Derbyshire police said: ‘Officers can confirm that no reports of burglaries at any local pet crematoria have been received by police.’

Further reports suggest police are investigating allegations of fraud.