A DEVASTATED dad claims his dog was cremated by a kennel while he was on holiday - who didn't even inform him the pooch had died.
Adam Gardner McLean, 30, has told of his family's heartbreak after the sudden death of their beloved French Bulldog Pablo.
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Tragic Pablo died during a stay at a kennel and was cremated before his owners could say goodbye Credit: Deadline 2
Adam Gardner McLean and his partner Gemma Allen have been left devastated Credit: Deadline
He had left the two-year-old pet in the care of Scrub a Dug Dug in West Lothian, Scotland, while taking a trip to Turkey with partner Gemma Allen, 29 and son Cody, eight.
But the car salesman received a horror text message from the kennel 11 days into their break explaining that Pablo had passed away.
The owner Joan Barr reportedly informed the family she had already cremated the pup - despite them being unaware he had died.
Adam told the Daily Record: "I got a text from Joan saying she had been trying to get a hold of us, but our phones never rang.
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"She said she found Pablo dead after taking him for a walk earlier in the morning and that he had been sick.
"Then she took Pablo to ICarePetCrem and had him cremated 10 hours before she told us he had died.
"She told the crematorium she had our permission to cremate Pablo."
He claims Joan informed him that Pablo had been "sick on and off for a few days" but did not alert him or take the dog to the vet.
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The dad continued: "Gemma burst out crying as soon as she saw the text message saying he was dead.
"Then we had to explain to our son what had happened. It was horrible.
"The news was hard enough to hear as it is, without the whole aftermath of everything.
"We don't have camera footage and we couldn't get a post mortem because he was cremated without us knowing so we will never be able to prove anything."
The family has been left with many unanswered questions following the tragedy, with Adam adding that "something doesn't seem right."
The dog owner claims he contacted ICarePetCrem, who allegedly told him Pablo was "stiff and cold" when he arrived at the facility with his harness still on in the boot of Joan's car.
He also claims staff said that the kennel owner had insisted on bringing the pooch there herself rather than him being picked up.
Adam said: "The owner of the crematorium said Pablo arrived in a cage, with his legs outstretched and his harness on.
"The crate was covered in blankets. He has worked in the business for 20 years and believed Pablo had been dead for 12 to 15 hours when he arrived."
The family then returned from their holiday on June 24 and collected their Frenchie's ashes from ICarePetCream directly.
Adam alleges that Joan has since ignored calls and messages, while even dodging his attempts to speak to her at her home.
He fumed: "It has been a horrible week. My son is gutted, he played with Pablo every day.
"Maybe it was an accident but something doesn't seem right.
"I want to make sure other dog owners are aware of what happened to Pablo."
A West Lothian Council spokesperson said: "We have been made aware of an alleged incident regarding a dog which may have died whilst in the custody of an individual.
"We will be investigating the allegation. We are unable to comment further at this time."
A spokesperson for the SSPCA said: "The Scottish SPCA received a call regarding a dog that had died while in the care of an unregistered boarder while his owners were on holiday.
"We are looking into this case and have referred the matter to the local authority."
The Sun Online has contacted the kennel for comment.
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We previously told how a woman was left devastated when dog groomers returned her Shih Tzu as ashes in a box.
Rosane Martins, 38, was heartbroken after her pet Luizinho apparently died while being groomed - and was then hastily cremated by staff before she could say goodbye.