A distraught family has criticized police for digging up their dog’s body and ‘throwing it upside down in a wheelie bin’. Antony Evans was horrified to discover his brother James’ old dog had been exhumed by police just hours after he was buried peacefully in his favorite spot.
The 50-year-old said Labrador Flint was ‘a big part of the family’ and was given a happy send-off in a forest near Newtown, Wales, following his death last month. But the father-of-two soon learned Flint had been ‘dug up’ after Dyfed-Powys Police received a report that a man with a ‘large bin bag’ was seen ‘kneeling with a shovel’ in woods and ‘thought it might be a body’
Antony, who lives in Newtown, Powys, immediately recognized it as Flint and contacted local police to collect his deceased pet. But the former powerline worker was disgusted when he went to collect Flint’s remains from the police station and found him ‘upside down in a wheelie bin’.
The grandfather of three said police disregarded neither the family nor Flint and demanded a formal apology from police. Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed it attended due to concerns a man had been seen ‘burying a body in the woods’.
They admitted that it was ‘unfortunate’ that ‘the police station did not have a facility to keep the dog in the way they wanted’. Antony said: “When I got to the station they took out a bin covered with tape and Flint was lying there.
“We thought he would be in the freezer but it turned out he was in an upside down blue bin. It was a nightmare. We found him in the wheelie bin with blood from his mouth.” keep it in the freezer. They didn’t think at all about the family or how they treated the body.
“He was swept under the table. He didn’t care. He didn’t mean anything to them. They weren’t understanding at all, which bothered me.”
Flint started getting sick earlier this summer after having trouble getting around the house. When he died in August, the family decided to bury him in his favorite place: a local woodland in mid-Wales. Antony said: “Flint would talk to us. When we talked to him he would talk back to us. James only ever had Flint – just the two of them. He was on his own. Everybody loved the dog.”
“He had more friends in the town than we did. He was James’s best friend. They slept together every night. He was coughing a lot and had trouble going down the stairs. He lived a very happy life. His death really hit James.”
“James and Flint always went for walks in the woods. He went off happily in the woods. While they were going to the vet, I dug a hole and we put him in and James kissed him. We stuffed him and James put a cross in there and he was happy.”
However, the family soon learned that police officers had arrived in the woods following a search following concerns that a ‘body’ had been buried in the woods. Distraught, Antony called the police to explain the situation and ask where the beloved family dog was.
Antony said: “Then we heard the police came to the woods and they found him out. Everybody here knew Flint and knew he was dead. I said to the officer on the phone, ‘I don’t kill. That’s all there are to be fair’. There’s no crime here; it’s Wales.” “We’re in the middle of it.”
After making the complaint, Antony received a letter from Dyfed-Powys Police explaining why various measures had been taken. The letter states that the station ‘does not have facilities’ to store Flint in a freezer and that ‘unsuccessful inquiries’ have been made to contact the owner.
They apologized for the inconvenience but said the dog was treated ‘with the utmost respect’. Antony said: “I’m really disappointed with the police. It doesn’t feel right. You don’t do that by desecrating a grave. There’s more they could do.”
“I kept James away from this because we would have been more upset with him. I want to make an apology to them in Flint’s memory.”
A spokesman for Dyfed-Powys Police said: “Police received a call at 8pm on September 3 from a member of the public expressing concerns that a man might be burying a body in woodland. Following the concerns raised, officers attended the scene and searched for the bag. He found a hugged dog.
“Officers carried out an initial investigation to identify the owner but were unsuccessful. The dog was not left where it was found as attempts had already been made to dig it up prior to police arrival. Unfortunately, there was no facility at the police station to store the dog in a way we would have liked.”
“Further investigation was due to take place the following day but the dog was returned before this. We understand that the owner was unhappy with the way the dog was surrendered. The dog was treated with the utmost respect and a natural sense of affection. It is regrettable that so many officers own dogs.”