Wood Green Animal Shelter has defended its decision to put down an eight-year-old dog that had endured several days without food and water at the side of its just-deceased owner – a woman whose will contained a £100,000 bequest to the same charity.

The incident happened in February last year and was reported in local media in March, but last weekend the Mail on Sunday picked up the story and ran it. Dozens of readers posted comments, some claiming they would never donate to the charity again; others called on the charity to donate the legacy to other local charities that have policies of not destroying animals.

According to the Mail on Sunday, the golden retriever called Henry was found lying faithfully next to the body of his owner, widow Lynda Hill, in her Peterborough home after worried neighbours contacted police.  She was aged 85 and had been dead for up to five days.

The police also found Mrs Hill’s will, which left nearly all her estate to the Wood Green Animal Shelter in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire.  She also left Henry to the shelter, with the comment: “I express the hope they will look after him”.

But the day after Henry was collected by workers from the shelter, vets decided to put him down. The Mail on Sunday quoted friends of Mrs Hill as saying she would have been “devastated” by the move.

Wood Green response

Yesterday Wood Green Animal Shelter published a statement on its website defending its decision to put Henry down. It said: “That decision was taken by a vet based on Henry’s medical condition and included being taken home by a member of staff to assess him outside the kennel environment. At the time of the decision there was no knowledge of Mrs Hill’s legacy.

“The Mail on Sunday headline portrays the charity as uncaring by suggesting that our focus was on the legacy not Henry. This cannot be further from the truth and actually is quite disdainful to conclude otherwise.  In fact, we endeavour to find homes for all the thousands of animals that come to us and are successful in 95 per cent of cases.”

In Henry’s case, vets had concluded that the dog would only endure his life ahead rather than enjoying it, and that it was kinder to put him down.

A spokeswoman for the charity told civilsociety.co.uk that with regards to the legacy, “Mrs Hill has left us her estate but the amount is still unknown as it continues to go through the motions, probate etc”.

She confirmed the shelter had received comments that the money should be given to ‘no kill’ charities and added: “We will be meeting with our trustees and council when the money has been received to discuss this.”