Saturday, 23 Nov 2024

‘Our dog caused £18k damage in 3 months eating sofa, floor and wall’

Lupin, a two-year-old deaf Dalmatian, “completely dictated” the lives of his two owners – Kelly-Ann Lee, 33, and Emilien Borne, 31 – after he started experiencing “extreme anxiety” over being left alone. Not having the attention of his owners sent the dog into such a state of panic he would destroy objects and valuables around the house. Ms Lee and Mr Borne said their beloved pet caused damages to their home worth around £18,000 in just three months.

Lupin destroyed an entire sofa and chewed through a concrete wall during some of his anxious rampages.

The pet also damaged a number of shoes and cushions, gnawed the washing machine door and pulled curtains off the hangers.

Pictures from Ms Lee and Mr Borne’s home give an idea of the havoc created by Lupin. One snap shows how the dog ripped up a large chunk of the laminate kitchen flooring.

Multiple images show holes and dents Lupin made in the property’s walls.

Ms Lee, a nurse from Manchester, said: “It’s completely dictated our lives, everything revolved around Lupin.”

She also said: “If Emilien went to the gym, I would have to wait till he got home to then go just so there was someone to look after Lupin. We even missed my sister’s engagement party because of not being able to leave the dog alone.

“The damages were horrendous and it put such a strain on our entire life, the total cost was around £18,000. It was truly horrible.”

Lupin, the pair explained, was initally independent when first brought into their home a few months ago.

The couple wanted the newcomer to join their three-year-old Dalmatian, Ralph, with whom Lupin initially shared a great bond.

However, Lupin’s behaviour changed after he contracted Canine Parvovirus – a virus that can be fatal to dogs.

After spending time in vet intensive care, Ms Lee and Mr Borne brought him home, preparing for the worst.

However, as they took it in shifts to nurse and feed him, the couple saw Lupin’s health recovering.

The attention they gave the pet, however, made Lupin increasingly reliant on his owners, and he became anxious whenever he wasn’t being fussed over.

The nurse said: “Before, he was always quite independent and wasn’t too keen on cuddles before the illness. However, after he had recovered it was a constant need to be held and fussed with purely through the extreme anxiety he was dealing with.

“He was fixated on the pair of us, and whenever we were out of sight it would cause him to panic and go into his extreme destructive mode.”

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His destructiveness got so bad that at one point Ms Lee confessed to her partner she “couldn’t do it any longer”.

She added: “If it wasn’t for the fact that we had nursed the dog back to health we might’ve actually given up. Emilien said to me we never gave up on him then and we won’t be giving up on him now.”

However, the owners were eventually able to help Lupin gain back his independence and change his destructive behaviour.

They contacted Channel Four’s show Dog Academy, where trainers helped Ms Lee and Mr Borne how to bring the behaviour of their dog back to normal.

The nurse called the experience “eye-opening”, saying she and her partner had never thought their behaviour towards the pet was helping to encourage how he was acting.

She said: “We kept to a strict plan and reaped the rewards of it and slowly but surely Lupin began to act like his old independent self.

“We can see him now when we’re away from home on the dog cam, he’ll just entertain himself and if he ever starts ripping his toys or chewing a pillow corner he’ll slowly realise what he’s doing and stop.

“It’s been a complete 360 degree turn and we’re now back to living a happy life with two lovely dogs.”

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