Kennel owner accused of covering up dog's death Mrs Lilley spent seven weeks scouring the West Sussex countryside with help from friends and relatives. Encouraged by the occasional sighting - some of which were relayed through the kennel - she continued her hunt. But then a motorist came forward to report that he had knocked Jaxx down outside Wolstonbury Kennels, situated on a busy main road in the village of Bolney in West Sussex. The dog's name was on the tag on his collar. What was difficult for Mrs Lilley to comprehend was that, according to the driver's account, he had run over Jaxx days after she had dropped the pet off. Even odder, the driver told her he had raced to the kennels for help and that he had helped a man put the dog in a van, which had the words 'Wolstonbury' written on it. Wolstonbury Kennels vehemently deny that version of events. The incident is now under police investigation and the kennels' owner Tony Steer has been arrested on suspicion of theft. Mrs Lilley - having employed the services of a private detective - is now more convinced than ever that the kennels had misled her. We feel we were lied to and deceived. It has caused such a lot of heartache," claimed Mrs Lilley, 37, a company administrator. Jaxx was part of the family. He was my baby, he was my best friend. He was very much loved and that hurt doesn't go away. Mrs Lilley had dropped Jaxx off at the kennels on April 26 last year before flying to Jersey where her fiance - now her husband - Stefan was working. She returned on May 3 only to be told the dog had run off. It was a terrible shock. I didn't know what to say," recalled Mrs Lilley, who lives in Partridge Green, West Sussex. That evening, the kennels' owner Tony Steer telephoned Mrs Lilley and "was very apologetic." Her hunt began immediately, and she engaged The Pet Detective, run by Colin Butcher, a former detective inspector. "On several occasions I would go out at four in the morning because that is a time when dogs can out looking for food," said Mrs Lilley. On June 23 the call from the motorist - in response to an appeal in the local newspaper - came and in a witness statement to the private investigator the driver said he had hit the dog as it stood in the road at the entrance to the kennels at about 9pm on either April 26th or April 27th. The motorist said: "I could see that the dog was seriously hurt because it wasn't moving and was panting very heavily as if gasping for breath." He ran up to the kennels for a help. A man appeared and drove to the bottom of the drive in a van with 'Wolstonbury' written on it. "He and I were able to lift the dog into the rear of the van and place it on the floor," the motorist said. As we did this, the dog died. It was quite an upsetting experience to see the dog die in front of me. In a letter to Mrs Lilley sent last year, Mr Steer said that at the time Jaxx went missing, he had not been around because both his mother and wife were in hospital and he had been visiting. He went on: "I have spoken to the house sitters and they are adamant that nothing happened. If Jaxx had been hit by a car I would have told you that an accident had occurred. I gain nothing by lying. I have received threats to my family, house and staff via email and phone, stating they are going to burn my house with my children in, so as I know what it's like to lose a family member. Mr Steer, who also runs a construction company, said he was unaware any dog was placed in a Wolstonbury van. Unfortunately I had house sitters at the time. I cannot help you I am afraid," he told The Sunday Telegraph. Mr Steer said the matter was now in the hands of his solicitors. A spokeswoman for West Sussex police said the force, the RSPCA and Mid Sussex District Council were investigating. "A 45-year-old man from Bolney has been arrested on suspicion of theft and bailed pending further enquiries," she said.