A newlywed couple’s joys turned to heartbreak when their dog – who was attending their wedding – died later that day after kennel staff left her in a red-hot bus for two hours.
Ffion James, 30, and Ben Hill, 31, tied the knot with their pug Luna, a guest of honor for their confetti walk on Friday.
The radiant couple posed for photos holding hands after their wedding to the groom holding their beloved dog in his arms.
But just hours after the blissful snaps were taken, Luna was dead.
Ffion James, 30, and Ben Hill, 31, tied the knot with their pug Luna, a guest of honor for their confetti walk on Friday
Just hours after the blissful wedding photos were taken, Luna was dead
Ffion said today: ‘I’m devastated and still can’t bring myself to look at the pictures.
“To think my Luna died in the back of a van while we were partying is just too horrifying to think about.”
The couple had booked Luna into a kennel so she could care for her while they enjoyed the rest of their wedding day.
But she was left in the back of a van for two hours before being checked.
The newlyweds – who took Luna on their honeymoon – have now canceled it because they are so upset.
The Prestons, near Stevenage, Hertfordshire, now want the kennels closed.
They arranged for Luna to be picked up the day before by Country Boarding for Cats and Dogs in Baldock.
“To think my Luna died in the back of a van while we were partying is just too horrifying to contemplate,” said Bride Ffion.
She was then taken to South Farm’s wedding venue in Royston for their confetti walk.
“It was just so hot it wasn’t fair to Luna so we asked if she would be picked up and brought back by the kennels,” Ffion added.
“We woke up to find that our beautiful little pug had passed away shortly after these photos were taken.
“They put her in a van, parked her in their parking lot, and then just forgot about her. Poor Luna died in what was basically an oven.”
“She was found a few hours later, but it was too late.”
Luna was taken from Country Boarding Cats and Dogs to the South Farm wedding venue (pictured) in Royston for the confetti walk
It has been one of the hottest days of the year so far with temperatures reaching 28 degrees Celsius.
“The weather would have made the van unbearably hot, and I can’t imagine how much suffering she must have endured,” Ffion said.
“Anyone who knows us knows we loved our little Luna and we are completely traumatized that we lost her too soon.
‘But also in such a gruesome and unimaginable way. She was our baby, best friend and the whole world.
“We can’t believe she’s gone and what should have been the best weekend of our lives is now ruined and a living nightmare.”
Country Boarding Cats and Dogs has apologized to the couple, saying the incident left the staff “heartbroken”.
Country Boarding Cats and Dogs (pictured) have apologized to the couple, saying the incident left staff ‘heartbroken’
But project coordinator Ffion added: ‘It’s not good enough just to say sorry.
“We want everyone to know what happened and that the kennels are closed in case it happens again.”
The couple canceled their honeymoon to Bath as they process their loss.
Renate Burrowes, who co-owns Country Boarding for Cats and Dogs with her husband Jeremy, said: ‘On Friday, July 8, there was an incident where a dog in our care died, which devastated all of us here at Country Boarding. .
“We care deeply about all the animals we care for and that something like this happens has left us heartbroken.
“We wanted to provide more detail here so customers know exactly what happened and so you know what we’ve done to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.
The couple canceled their honeymoon to Bath as they process their loss. Pictured, Luna
“Jeremy picked up little Luna from her owners wedding venue and brought her back to the kennels at 3pm.
“When he returned, he was urgently called upon to resolve a system issue affecting customers at the front desk.
This distracted Jeremy to notify a staff member to come and collect the dog, as would be normal procedure.
“Two hours later, I found Luna in the van at 5:00 PM.
“I found she was unresponsive at the time, despite my efforts, I couldn’t resuscitate her.
“I cradled her and held her, and with the help of a staff member I put her in a dog bed.”
She added: ‘We were so heartbroken for this little dog and so desperate for her to come back to life.
“Miracles like that rarely happen, so my next thought was about her owners.
‘I have tried to contact them without success and several messages have been left. It was their wedding day, which of course made this all the more shocking.
“I thought it necessary to wait the night here at the kennels with Luna, in case something of my messages was picked up and the owner wanted to come right away.
“We got in touch in the morning and the owners came within the hour to collect their dog.
‘Since then we have been in contact with the owners about the next steps, which is a private matter and while we know we won’t be able to bring Luna back, we will work with them to ensure we help and support them in whatever way then. can.
“While it sounds like an unimaginable mistake to make, people make mistakes and all we can do now is learn from this incident.
“The blame for this incident rests entirely with us, as entrepreneurs, and not with our wonderful employees.”