Love Island stars Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae Hague have spoken out about the sudden death of their new puppy.
Fury, 21, bought Hague the Pomeranian dog, which they called Mr. Chai, for Hague’s 21st birthday last week.
However, just days later, they announced the puppy had died, resulting in backlash from their fans who questioned whether they had taken care of their new arrival.
In response to mounting questions, the Love Island 2019 runners-up have taken to YouTube to explain their side of the story, claiming Fury was “physically sick” at hearing the news that Mr Chai had died while Hague thought it was "a sick prank."
Wiping away tears, Hague said: “He couldn’t have had a better end to his life than with us, he was so loved. It’s not normal to love a dog as much as we loved that dog. We were obsessed with him.”
She also hit out at those accusing her of using the small puppy as an accessory for her Instagram.
“People that are saying we bought him for Instagram likes, please stop saying that,” Hague explained.
"Our lives are on social media, my full-time job is to show you guys what I'm doing. If I didn't have Instagram, he wouldn't be on Instagram.
"We're not asking for any kind of sympathy. What's happened is awful. I'm asking you to understand that the dog travelling from Russia is not the reason he died."
The couple went on to warn people who were considering adopting pets from abroad.
“I think it’s so important that we just share this story and just say we are now suffering the consequences of our actions, and that if anyone is thinking about importing a dog, just think twice,” Hague said.
“If for one minute we had known that Chai was unwell or the tiniest bit of a centimetre over high temperature, we would have never, ever, ever brought him over here, or put him at any risk. We wanted the best for that dog.”
Fury added: “We weren’t informed that anything was wrong with Chai. The dog was going to die around that time anyway, so I’m thankful he came over here and had the best few days of this life.”
“We were informed the dog was of full health, and that’s what we went off,” Hague concluded.
“We went off reports saying he was of full health and he had all his vaccinations, and that’s what we went off.
“That’s what you guys have to understand – we’re not animal killers. This is our story and I just want people to learn from it.”
The Facebook account for Tiffany Chihuahuas & Pomeranians, where Fury bought the puppy, posted: "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."
