OWNER GIVES AWAY BAD DOG AFTER SHE CHEWS A HOLE THROUGH N21,000,000.00 (£80,000) ASTON MARTIN CAR

A car fanatic gave his pet dog away after he was left distraught when she chewed a hole through the wheel arch of his prized £80,000 Aston Martin.

Builder Royston Grimstead, 42, was devastated when he came home to find his border collie spaniel cross Luce had chewed through the fibreglass panel of his luxury car - causing £3,000 of damage. Mr Grimstead, from Chedzoy, Somerset, said he had already been considering re-homing the dog, which he said did not get along with his other dog, but the damage to the car was the final straw.

A dog behaviour expert has suggested it was likely Luce, who Mr Grimstead claimed had never chewed any of his possessions before, went for the car after she became stressed while her owner was away.

Mr Grimstead said: 'I came home and saw her covered in white stuff and I thought she had got a bird and it was feathers - but it was the fibreglass from the car.'She had chewed out a huge chunk. I just laughed. I mean, what else could I do? I'm not a crier and she knew she had done something wrong because she had this guilty look on her face.'

Mr Grimstead said the dog, who he has had for three years, had never gone for any of his possessions before she chewed her way through the car last Wednesday.  The dog is understood to have had access to the outside of his home where the car is kept.

He said: 'She avoided me after she did it and she was gone the next day. I didn't tell the new owners what she had done - I expect when they hear I'll find Luce back on my doorstep.'

Mr Grimstead, who bought his beloved Aston Martin DB9 Volante 15 months ago, added: 'She does not get on with my other dog. 'She must have overheard me talking about re-homing her because she's normally friendly and never really chewed on anything before.'

Mr Grimstead's car is insured against the £3,000 damage and is set to be repaired next week. Dog behaviour expert Helen Stone said she was surprised to see the damage done to the exterior of the car. Ms Stone, who works as a canine welfare trainer at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, said: 'It's quite an extensive amount of damage. It's very severe the damage that has been done there, I think however it looks a lot worse because it is the wheel arch of a car.

'A lot of the time, dogs that have issues being left alone will chew door frames and cabinets and things like that - I think we have seen a lot worse damage when people have brought dogs into us, but not a car like that.'

Ms Stone said it was an unusual case because Luce had never chewed anything before. She said: 'If she's normally fine to be left alone it seems like something will have happened to her, some stress or something, when he was out.

'We always say it is important that owners give their dogs something that they are happy to chew on when on their own and things to do to keep them busy when their owners are out.'

DailyMail