Pet dog collapsed and died after being left with sitter on hot day in Gloucester

The RSPCA says it is investigating a complaint involving a dog which died after being left with a sitter in Gloucestershire.

Andrea Brown says she agreed for a sitter who the family had known for sometime to go and let her family's dogs out while she was out of the house.

But Andrea claims the sitter took Banjo, a Bernese Mountain dog, into Gloucester for a walk during hot weather on Friday 17 June.

Banjo later collapsed and died later that day.

Andrea said she did not give permission for the sitter to take her dogs out, adding: “I have had Banjo and his brother since they were pups, and both are seven years old, but I have kept Bernese Mountain dogs for years.

“I know you can not take them for walks like you would a spaniel or a terrier. You especially can not take them out when it was hot like it was on Friday."

She said she first found out something was wrong when the sitter called her "in a panic" to say Banjo had collapsed.

"I asked where they were and I was told in town," she added.

“I could not believe what I was hearing and asked why they walked the dogs into town and they said to me they had taken the dogs in a car into town. I heard nothing then until the vets called me to tell me my dog was dead.

"We had got ready to leave the house at 4pm and by 8pm Banjo was dead."

Gloucestershire Police are working alongside the RSPCA, which is leading an investigation into the incident.

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: “We have been made aware of this incident and will be looking into this further.

"Unfortunately we are unable to discuss complaints about specific individuals. We understand how frustrating that is for animal lovers but releasing information could prejudice an investigation or could lead to us being fined.”