Heartbroken owner raises money for charities who helped after dog escaped trainer and was killed on M1

The bereft owner of a 14-month-old Alsatian killed on the M1 after escaping a Derbyshire dog training facility is raising money for charities who did ‘all they could’ to track down her beloved pet.
Shine died after escaping a residential training facility and running onto the M1.Shine died after escaping a residential training facility and running onto the M1.
Shine died after escaping a residential training facility and running onto the M1.

Sue Schofield says she had dropped off her dog Shine at Platinum Canine in Heanor on March 21 ‘without any concerns’- but was later informed she had ‘jumped over a five foot fence’ and ran away.

After Sue shared a desperate appeal on social media, residents and charities rallied round to help find Shine - but she bounded straight into a busy carriageway of the M1 and was ‘killed instantly’.

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Sue said: “My husband and I had enrolled Shine at Platinum Canine for a week as she was having problems with other dogs, and we wanted to work on that behaviour while she was still young.

“She was a little jittery as we said goodbye, but this was normal for her. We didn’t have concerns. At around 2pm on March 21, Shine jumped over a fence and went missing.

“We were not informed of this until 4.30pm which is a shame, as were in Bakewell at the time and would have been straight over to the Heanor area.”

With Shine’s trainer looking for her, Sue shared an appeal on countless social media pages- and was overwhelmed at the kind response.

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“I had loads of messages from people saying they’d seen Shine, but they were unable to get to her before she went running off again,” added Sue.

“People were so lovely. Two charities in particular went out of their way- Sar Drones for lost dogs and Dog SOS Derbyshire.”

Sadly, the next day, Sue received the news she had been dreading after a member of the public messaged her to inform her that Shine had been found dead at the side of the M1.

“They said they recognised Shine’s red collar,” said Sue. “My husband and I don’t have children and shewas our baby. We’ve received our deposit back from Platinum Nine but so far not had a proper apology.”

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Sue says she’s determined to derive some positivity from Shine’s death and has set up a JustGiving page in aid of Sar Drones and Dog SOS Derbyshire, which has so far raised more than £300.

“Nothing will bring Shine back, but I’m determined to show the charities how much I appreciated their help at such a hard time. The money will help pay for thermal imaging cameras wil l better enable them to find lost pets.”

The Ripley and Heanor News have approached Platinum Nine for comment but did not receive a response before going to press.

You can donate at: https://bit.ly/2Ur7d0i