Woman returned rescue dog 'because it clashed with curtains'

Woman returned rescue dog 'because it clashed with curtains'

A woman returned a rescue dog to a kennels, saying that it clashed with her curtains.



9:30AM GMT 28 Jan 2011

The woman, who has not been named, picked up the Jack Russell called Harvey from the Jasmil Kennels and Cattery in Lower Halstow, near Sittingbourne, in Kent - but brought the pooch back 48 hours later.

Barry Shuttleworth, who runs the kennels, said was 'horrified' when the woman, in her late 40s, gave such a trivial reason for returning the three-year-old ginger and white dog.

Mr Shuttleworth, 42, said: "In one instance we had a woman come to see us a number of times, who loved a little Jack Russell we had called Harvey. It was perfect for her and she took it home.

"But she brought it back two days later saying it clashed with her curtains and thats why she didn't want it."

Mr Shuttleworth's, wife Corrina, 38, said there had been a spate of dogs returned for 'ridiculous reasons'.

She said: "In Harvey's case the woman was in the kennels looking for a dog when Harvey was brought in as a stray.

"She fell in love with him straight away and visited him for seven days before being allowed to take him home.

"The same day she took him home she called us up and said there was a problem with Harvey as his colouring clashed with her lounge curtains.

"We told her to put him in another room, but two days later she brought him back and said she had spent a lot of money on her curtains and that she didn't want Harvey any more."

Speaking about other 'ridiculous reasons' why dogs were returned she said that one man returned a labrador because 'it wouldn't bark', and another because it was 'no cuddly enough'.

Mr Shuttleworth added: "Some people just don't think about why they want a dog, and they need to so that so many dogs don't end up unwanted.

"I would urge people to consider the implications of rehoming a dog before deciding on any action."

In the last 18 months the kennels has gone from seeing 30 dogs a month brought in to between 80 and 90.

Mr Shuttleworth said: "We do struggle with the amount of dogs that are brought in, but we just have to try and find as many of them new homes as we can."