The owners of two dogs who were abused by their petsitters while they were on holiday said the experience has had a 'profound and lasting impact' on the whole family.

Duncan and Natalie Horlor hired Fur & Filly PetCare Services - run by 26-year-old Paige Williams - on a number of occasions in 2023 and 2024 to take care of their three dogs, two cats and two birds of prey at their home.

But they later uncovered footage showing the mistreatment of their dogs by the petsitters - causing "guilt and heartbreak" for the family - and prompting them to support RSPCA calls for better regulation of the petsitting industry.

Paige Williams and her partner Bradley Archer were paid £1,400 to take care of three dogs, two cats and two birds of prey at a property in Balsall Common, for four weeks in July and August 2024.

Duncan, 49, said: "Paige was the relative of friends of ours and had come recommended by several people who had used her in the past. She had pets of her own, had looked after other animals locally, and had even completed animal welfare training courses.

"We'd used her multiple times to look after the animals overnight or for a weekend - and had no issues - when we asked her if she'd look after them for four weeks while we went on a family holiday to Thailand in the summer of 2024.

"It was due to cost us £1,400 and the plan was for her to move into our home and look after the animals there."

The couple - and their two teenage children - had no concerns while they were away but, when they returned home, they received a message from someone who was worried about how the dogs had been treated by the petsitter and her partner, 26-year-old Bradley Archer, who had been helping her.

Duncan - who runs an embroidery and screen printing business - said they immediately checked their cameras within the home and were 'devastated' to see dozens of videos of the couple roughly handling, hitting, kicking, and screaming at 13-month-old Ayrton and three-year-old Freida.

The other animals - an elderly dog called Aero, two cats called Sterling and Moss, and two birds of prey called Hatti and Ace - were not subject to the abuse.

The family contacted the RSPCA and police to report their concerns, submitting 51 video clips to the animal welfare charity who launched an investigation.

Earlier this month, Williams and Archer were sentenced by magistrates to 12-month community orders and were also disqualified from keeping animals for seven years after pleading guilty to one offence each under the Animal Welfare Act, following a prosecution brought by the RSPCA.

In the victim impact statement submitted to the court, Duncan said: "This experience has had a profound and lasting impact on me and my family.

"We had entrusted the defendants to care for our home and, most importantly, our beloved dogs, while we were away on what should have been a once-in-a-lifetime family holiday.

"Instead, we returned to discover that two of our dogs had been subjected to abuse at the hands of people we trusted and parts of our home had been damaged as a result of their mistreatment.

"Emotionally, we were devastated. The knowledge that our dogs suffered in our absence filled us with guilt and heartbreak. That trip, which should have been filled with joyful memories, was overshadowed by what happened back at home. It's a feeling we continue to live with."

The family have spoken about the "incredibly deep" betrayal they feel at the actions of the petsitters.

Duncan added: "Our dogs, Frieda and Ayrton, were not themselves when we returned from our holiday.

"They were subdued, anxious and visibly distressed. They now become extremely unsettled if we leave them, even for a short period, and have shown lasting behavioural changes, including fear of strangers and loud noises.

"Perhaps one of the most unsettling things is that the abuse was captured on our own home cameras. Cameras we had installed purely to check on our animals during short absences. We never imagined they would record something so distressing.

"The betrayal we feel is incredibly deep. This incident has affected our peace of mind, our dogs' wellbeing and our ability to enjoy time away as a family. We now live with increased anxiety and a deep sense of betrayal that we placed our animals, who are members of our family, in the care of someone who harmed them."

More regulation needed

The RSPCA wants to see greater regulation of many professions involved in the care of animals - including petsitters.

Animal Welfare Expert and Vet Nurse, Lauren Bennett, said: "Our pets are part of our families and we want to leave them in the hands of someone we trust when we go away - but finding someone isn't always easy.

"Petsitting services appeal to some as it avoids pets having to stay somewhere unfamiliar, such as kennels. But petsitters need to be reputable and trustworthy, just as any other kennels or boarding establishment is, however they currently don't need any sort of licence to come into your home and operate.

"A licensing scheme would require petsitters to provide relevant background checks to protect animal welfare, and offer peace of mind to many owners trusting them with their beloved animals."

Speaking after the sentencing, Duncan added: "We're so soft with our pets, the dogs all sleep in our bed and we've never crate trained them or locked them away. They used to come to work with me every day so they were always by my side.

"They were being locked in the utility room and shut inside the crate for hours. Neither of them were used to it and they were clearly very distressed. They completely destroyed an oak door trying to get out, and broke most of the bars of the crate.

"Going back over this all again and watching those videos in court was horrific; it breaks my heart to think of them so stressed out and frightened. My goal now is to stop this ever happening again."

Lasting Impact

Headteacher Natalie, 43, added: "Since this happened we haven't felt comfortable going away and leaving the animals with another petsitter. We've cancelled holidays and juggled plans so that one of us is always at home with them, or so that a family member can stay with them."

Duncan said: "Ayrton is ace; he's a proper cheeky chappy. At the time this all happened he was just a puppy; he was excited and energetic. Despite them tying him to a tree and whacking him, you can still see he is wagging his tail, there was still joy there.

"Now he really hates loud noises. If our son comes in loudly, as boys do, Ayrton jumps up into your lap and shakes.

"Frieda was a rescue dog who we got from Romania. She was one of five puppies all of whom had rickets and she's always been small but, like Ayrton, very loving.

"I could tell something was wrong with her as soon as we saw her, thankfully she's back to normal now. But Ayrton still carries scars from that experience.

Anyone with animal welfare concerns can find out how to make a report on the RSPCA website.