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Shirley Nicholas, son Anthony and the poster showing missing Kayla |
Cruel hoaxers torment owner of missing husky
WHEN Shirley Nicholas put up posters advertising a reward for the safe return of her missing dog, she did not expect the cruel hoax calls that were to follow.
The devastated dog lover, from Primrose Hill, has told of her horror at being targeted by callers claiming that her beloved dog, Kayla, was being tortured, hung and stabbed.
The distinctive three-year-old Siberian husky with ginger and white markings went missing three weeks ago when she ran off during a walk on Hampstead Heath. She was on medication for an eye infection, which vets feared could permanently damage her eyesight.
Ms Nicholas said: “It’s bad enough waiting by the phone all day hoping someone has information. But every time the phone rings, my heart leaps, only to sink when I hear the words coming from the other end.”
So far, she has received eight hoax calls, each from a different man. She said: “I have been told my dog has been hung up to die slowly in a shed, that her throat has been slashed and that she is being used as a punch bag.
“Another one said he had run her over. One said he had cut off her ears. And the last one said he was going to disembowel her. It was terrifying.”
The part-time volunteer at the Mayhew Animal Home in Kensal Green reported the calls to police, and has now removed her number from the posters. A friend has agreed to have his number used instead.
Ms Nicholas refuses to give up the search for her dog. Since Kayla went missing, the mother-of-four has spent every morning on the Heath looking for the husky. She has also contacted animal shelters around the capital.
She said: “When we got her, she was quite emaciated as a stray and she was very submissive and cagey. But we decided to adopt her because we all fell in love with her. She was very traumatised and it took a lot of love and tender loving care to turn her around.”
Ms Nicholas added: “For every horrific call, there have been others that have been encouraging and have given us support. I’ve been shocked by the depths to which some people will sink to upset someone who is already devastated but I won’t let these calls put me off.”
If you have seen Kayla or have any information about her, call 07942 024106 or contact a police station, vet or animal home. |
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