Police urged to dig at site of 41 dead dogs

Warning: This article contains distressing content

Police have been urged to undertake a full excavation of an animal rescue centre where 41 dogs were found dead.

The remains were discovered, along with 21 live dogs and a cat, during a raid at Save A Paw, in Crays Hill, near Billericay, Essex, in May.

Daryll Olde, who fears his dog may be among the dead, believed there could be hundreds more pets hidden at the site in Hope Road.

Essex Police said the dire condition of the compound meant finding answers for each person affected "was not possible".

Oaveed Rahman, who ran the centre, was jailed for five years at Basildon Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to animal cruelty, 11 offences of fraud by false representation and to owning a banned XL bully dog.

Detectives have been undertaking a UK-wide investigation to identify the owners of the various dead dogs.

So far, they said, they had made "a very small number" of connections.

Supt Leigh Norris, who led the investigation, has told the BBC that the deceased animals were found in "various different states of decomposition".

Olde took the "very hard decision" to give his Tibetan mastiff, Tiny, to Save A Paw in December 2024, after her behaviour worsened.

He feared she might harm his children.

When the 40-year-old dropped Tiny off, he was surprised to see Rahman was having a patio laid in winter.

"I am a strong believer that if they dig up that patio there will be hundreds of dogs under there, 100%," said Olde, from Maidstone, Kent.

"Because of how many dogs died there, there has to be more. If we were dealing with humans, the whole house would've been torn down."

Police initially found 37 dead dogs at the rescue centre, but discovered four more during a later search.

Caroline Park, from Northumberland, also sent two dogs – Deebo and Demon – to Save A Paw that December due to a change in family circumstances.

She now knows Deebo is alive and was rehomed without her permission, but is in the dark about what happened to Demon.

"If that had been a murder scene where they'd found human remains, they would've dug the entire garden up looking for more evidence," said the 54-year-old.

"It's one of those things where I'm not sure if I want to know or not.

"But if I don't then I'll always be wondering, 'Did he make it out or is he buried in the garden somewhere?'"

Officers from Essex Police spent more than 260 hours undertaking searches at the property.

The force insisted they were thorough in the face of a "deeply upsetting" scene.

"We know we have not been able to find answers for every single person, and very sadly the conditions at the address meant that was not possible," a spokeswoman said.

Norris added: "As a dog owner and lover myself, this was an incredibly troubling investigation.

"The loss that previous owners feel is not lost on me."

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