Man wins £10,000 payout after pet’s leg was broken during treatment for anxiety

Four Paws Walking and Training Ltd is the brainchild of former advertising guru Paul Ives, who says online that he founded it after being inspired by his love of canines ‘to help dogs and owners form an unbreakable bond’.

The company, based in Bury St Edmunds, specialises in ‘bespoke dog training’ and in its promotional literature takes pride in offering a ‘dog-centric approach’ to ‘socialisation struggles, toilet training, aggression and anxious episodes’.

Among the packages on offer are a two-week ‘customised board and train’ programme, comprising ‘intensive training sessions’ and an ‘immersive experience’.

But Mr and Mrs Sazak said things went badly wrong when they turned to the dog trainers to help with their terrier’s ‘anxiety and reactivity’.

Sketching out the dispute, District Judge Edwin Omoregie told the court: ‘what Mr Sazak said in his claim form is that he sent his dog for some form of training with the defendants and that while the dog was in training he sustained injuries which included a spiral fracture.

‘The fracture was quite serious and that necessitated Mr Sazak to have his dog treated for the injuries.

‘As a result of those injuries, he sued the defendants first for the cost of the vet’s bill to treat Sirius, and also for the training fees for the dog.’ In an online customer review of Four Paws, Mr Sazak’s wife, Belma, labelled their experience a ‘complete nightmare’, claiming Sirius broke his leg after Four Paws ‘took him in for training’.

‘This entire ordeal has inflicted significant emotional stress and financial hardship on us,’ wrote Ms Sazak.

‘At this point, we are striving to get our lives back on track and offer the best possible support to Sirius. This experience has been a complete nightmare.’

In another, she told of Sirius having to have a metal plate and nine screws inserted in his leg and would need ‘intensive post-surgery care,’ while ‘confined to immobility.’

‘It breaks my heart to see him wrestle with heightened anxiety and even needing depression medication to cope with his nightmarish new environment,’ she wrote.

Four Paws did not attend the hearing at Central London County Court, but in an online response to the review earlier said they had informed Sirius’ owners promptly after his ‘unfortunate accident’ and took him to a vet.