Heartbroken Derbyshire dog owner whose puppy was killed on M1 raises funds for charities who tried to help

Sue Schofield, 56, wanted to ‘give something back’ after losing her 14-month-old German Shepherd Shine in March.

She and her husband Steve had dropped Shine off at Platinum K9 in Ripley in the hope she would learn not to lunge at other dogs after a four-week course.

But just hours later the couple received a call from staff informing them Shine had jumped over a wall and ran away.

A social media appeal was launched and volunteer dog groups scoured the area in an attempt to find Shine.

But at 9.15am the next morning Sue received the news she had been dreading- her pup had been hit by a car and killed near Junction 24 of the M1.

Though heartbroken, Sue wanted to do something positive in Shine’s memory. She set up a fundraising appeal for Dog SOS Derbyshire and Drone SAR for Lost Dogs UK, which raised £850.

Sue presented the charities with a cheque for the amount at The Black Boy pub in Heague. The money will fund thermal imaging cameras which it is hoped will enable the volunteer groups to track down lost pets more effectively.

“It was quite an emotional day,” said Sue, who works as a communications officer. “But I also felt proud. Both charities received £425 each and were very grateful indeed. They are going to name their cameras ‘Shine’.”

Platinum K9 have been approached for comment but we received no response.