Shadow’s owners labelled the dog boarders’ sentence ‘an insult’
Lynn and Terry Maher with a picture of Shadow(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The owners of a dog which vanished under mysterious circumstances say the ‘incompetent’ dog boarders who lost him received an ‘insult’ of a sentence. Shadow, a 50kg German shepherd, has not been since he was taken out of the family home by a dog boarder in September 2024, and then lost him several weeks later.
Lynn and Terry Maher, from Halewood, had been on a holiday of a lifetime in America when their dog ran away while under the care of dog sitters Rachel and Owen Dempsey. An investigation by Liverpool City Council found that they had been advertising their services without a Dog Home Boarding Licence.
The council stepped in after receiving reports a dog had passed away under their care and another dog, Shadow, a German Shepherd, went missing and has never been found.
During the course of the council investigation, even more dog owners came forward to share reports of dogs returning to their homes sick, items going missing, and dog beds being returned in such poor condition they had to be disposed of.
The ECHO has followed the story for nearly a year at this point. Shadow’s owners Lynn, 64, and Terry Maher, 65, previously told us:: “We were on our way to get him [Shadow], we had just got back and they phoned us to say he’d been taken out for a walk, got spooked by a firework, pulled out of their hand and run off down the Liverpool Loop Line.”
The couple rushed straight to where Shadow had vanished to help search for their missing dog. Lynn said: “There was no sign of him. We spent the rest of the day and have been out every day since looking for him.”
It’s now been almost 12 months since Shadow vanished, they said the last year has been “awful.” This week Lynn said: “Some days we are up and some days we’re down.
Lynn and Terry Maher who’s dog Shadow vanished almost one year ago(Image: Liverpool Echo)
“On September 20 it will have been 12 months since we last saw him but we will never give up hope, not until we find out if he is alive or not.”
The owners fear Shadow is “no longer alive.” Lynn said: “He is a 50 kilo German Shepheard, how has nobody seen him? How has nobody found him? We’ve offered £5,000 for him and nobody has come forward.”
On Thursday September 4, Liverpool Magistrates’ Court heard that Rachel and Owen Dempsey had earned over £3,000 from their illegal dog boarding services in just over a year.
Lynn and Terry Maher with a picture of Shadow(Image: Liverpool Echo)
After finding them guilty, the judge told the pair, of Park Avenue in Liverpool, that their actions had been “amateur” and “incompetent at best”. They were each sentenced to a 12-month community order, issued a curfew for 12 weeks and made to pay £250 plus a surcharge.
Lynn and Terry believe the sentence was an “insult.” She said: “I don’t think whatever they got would be enough to pay for the loss of Shadow.”
The seven-year disqualification means that they cannot own or look after any dog or have any influence over how dogs are kept. Another illegal dog boarder was fined £800 for boarding dogs without a licence on the same day.
Terry Maher with his dog, Shadow, who was reported missing on October 12(Image: Lynn Maher)
The council encourages the public to report any suspected unlicensed animal operations. Such operators prioritise profit over proper animal welfare standards, putting peoples’ pets at risk.
If anyone suspects an illegal activity they can report it on the council’s website.
Councillor Laura Robertson-Collins, cabinet member for communities, neighbourhoods and streetscene, said: “This is a tragic situation, and we hope that the sentence sends a message that unlicensed dog boarding is completely unacceptable.
“The council is committed to protecting the wellbeing of animals across the city and ensuring that all pet care businesses operate legally and responsibly.
“Our pets are precious and it’s important that, if we have to leave them in someone else’s care, that person is properly licensed and qualified to look after them.”
The ECHO was unable to contact Rachel and Owen Dempsey for comment.