'We went on dream honeymoon - then our dog was killed at boarding home'

A newlywedcouple were forced to cut their honeymoon short after their beloved dog was mauled to death by another at a boarding home.

Kimberley and Ethan Stevenson had been on the popular holiday hotspot of Majorca for four days when they received a devastating phone call. Their two-year-old Cocker Spaniel, Hugo, was attacked by another dogwhile staying at Furry Tales Durham boarding home.

Tragically, vets were unable to save the poor pooch and he was pronounced dead on September 4.

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"We dropped him off in the afternoon on September 1 and at about 4pm on the 4th we got the phone call to say that he had already gone", Kimberley, from Consett, toldChronicle Live.

The 29-year-old student midwife added: "Hugo was such a fun and energetic dog. He was so soft and gentle. He wanted to be friends with everyone and whenever he would see anyone he would instantly roll over because he loved his belly rubbed. He was lush."

The incident happened at Furry Tales Durham, a fully licensed dog boarding home in Consett, where Hugo had stayed several times prior to the attack. Kimberley said a brown Labrador cross dog broke free from its cage and launched an attack on Hugo, grabbing him by his throat.

She added that the owner of the boarding home has apologised following the incident and offered her support to the couple, who reported the attack to police. However, they faced further upset after learning that police were unable to progress with their report into the incident as it was a civil matter.

The couple, who married in April, have now launched a petition calling for equal enforcement of laws on dog-on-dog attacks as dog-on-human attacks. In a desperate attempt to prevent other pet owners from enduring the "unbearable" pain of losing their pet to a dog attack, Kimberley and Ethan say every attack should be investigated thoroughly, like human assault cases, and owners of aggressive dogs must be held accountable.

They added: "Mandatory training for aggressive dogs and proper containment practices needs to be enforced by law, and repeat offenders should face fines or penalties."

Ian Harrison, Durham County Council's business compliance manager, said: "We are very sorry to hear about this sad incident and we understand this is a very distressing time for everyone concerned. We are working closely with the boarding facility to address the situation."

Furry Tales Durham has been contacted for comment. A link to the couple's Change.org petition can be found here.