Earlier this week, Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae Hague revealed that their new Pomeranian puppy Mr Chai had taken ill and died less than a week after he arrived. Whilst autopsy results have shown that Mr Chai was born with health problems that meant he couldn’t survive, they have been hit with a wave of criticism by fans for having the pup shipped over from Russia.
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Now, fellow former Islander Olivia Attwood has spoken out about her experiences with breeders since becoming an influencer. Taking to her Instagram Story, she said:
Since I've come out of Love Island I've had breeders like that message me offering me a free dog like they're a f***ing pair of shoes or something.
Olivia, who has two small dogs herself, continued to condemn irresponsible breeders, whilst defending Tommy and Molly-Mae, saying: ‘It's just horrendous, and I really don't want you guys to go and pile on to Molly and Tommy because it's not about them, they've been conned by one of these establishments.’
The breeder that Tommy and Molly-Mae got Mr Chai from has made a statement on her Facebook account saying:
I only work with trusted people and have a small network of reputable breeders who care for their dogs to the very highest standards and see animals as part of their family. I have rigorous processes in place to check animal health and the suitability of forever homes providing support and guidance for health and wellbeing throughout. I have worked with dogs my entire life and this has never happened before.
A new regulation called Lucy’s Law came into effect in England this April which bans the sale of kittens and puppies under six months old if they are not bred by the seller themself. The vet who created it has called for an investigation into how Molly-Mae and Tommy were sold a puppy from Russia by a breeder in England.
