A top advertising executive and his fashion designer wife have been slammed after launching a crowd-funding bid to pay a £7,500 vet bill for their Instagram star dog.
Richard Huntington, the chairman and chief strategy officer of Saatchi & Saatchi, begged internet users to stump up cash in a bid to help pay for treatment by celebrity vet Noel Fitzpatrick.
Donations poured in after he and wife Annabel Bird urged animal lovers to help get their four-year-old Welsh Terrier Edward Lear ‘scamping again’.
The dog has built up a following of tens of thousands of fans online and boasts its own wardrobe of designer canine clothing.
The couple – who complained that leaving their dog alone in hospital was ‘distressing’ – managed to raise more than £5,000 from 200 people – with many contributions being for small amounts.
But now they have been branded ‘scroungers’ with furious Twitter users branding the pair ‘shameless’. One wrote: ‘The absolute nerve of these people.’
Richard Huntington (pictured left) and his wife Annabel Bird (pictured right) begged internet users to stump up cash in a bid to help pay for treatment by celebrity vet Noel Fitzpatrick
Donations poured in to the crowd-funding page which urged animal lovers to help get four-year-old Welsh Terrier Edward Lear ‘scamping again’
Huntington is pictured enjoying a beach holiday with the couple’s dog Edward Lear
Bird, who owns lifestyle store Bleak House, had written on the crowd-funding page: ‘Our Instagram community is genuinely one of the most wonderful things there is.
‘Over ten thousand people follow Edward and the support we have had during this horribly upsetting time has been invaluable and we are so thankful to every person who has reached out to us.
‘Both Richard (Edward’s dog-dad) and I would be so incredibly grateful for any help you can give us.’
Pictures posted on Instagram reveal the model pooch’s lavish lifestyle – with weekly engagements including trips to five-star hotels such as Claridge’s and portrait sessions with artists.
The dog has built up a following of tens of thousands of fans online and boasts its own wardrobe of designer canine clothing
Pictures posted on Instagram reveal the model pooch’s lavish lifestyle – with weekly engagements including trips to five-star hotels such as Claridge’s (pictured)
Each post includes a caption written in the dog’s persona by its owners from their exclusive £1million flat in Primrose Hill, north-west London.
Recent images on the account boast about the canine ‘gallivanting around London chasing the ladies’ and reveal plans for the pooch to model for high-end magazines.
Following Edward Lear’s leg surgery, Bird posted: ‘On Monday we visited the vet and Edward had the staples removed from his leg.
‘We scampered home (in the car!) and threw the Cone of Courage on the metaphorical bonfire.
Huntington (pictured with his wife), who is thought to earn a six-figure salary, said: ‘The response was rather humbling to say the least’
Each post includes a caption written in the dog’s persona by its owners from their exclusive £1million home (pictured) in Primrose Hill, north-west London
The couple were raising money to pay for a bill from celebrity vet Noel Fitzpatrick (pictured)
‘This was a big milestone for us as it marks the end of painful times for him. Edward is walking so well already and you can see the unbridled joy and enthusiasm on his face when he’s walking around the block for the umpteenth time that day.
‘I think perhaps this week is the first time in two years he’s walked with no pain in any of his legs, something that makes me happy and sad at the same time.
‘I want to say the most enormous THANK YOU to all of you for supporting us through this.
‘Your support really has meant the world. To each of you who helped with Edward’s recovery by donating to his GoFundMe, writing lovely heartfelt comments, sending us good wishes and reaching out to us privately, THANK YOU!
Following Edward Lear’s leg surgery, Bird posted: ‘On Monday we visited the vet and Edward had the staples removed from his leg. We scampered home (in the car!) and threw the Cone of Courage on the metaphorical bonfire’
Mr Huntington (pictured left) told Private Eye that after posting about Edward’s leg problems, the couple had been ‘inundated by people and dogs from his Instagram following offering their support’. His wife Annabel is pictured right
‘I am humbled and touched by how kind you all are and how much you love Edward.’
Mr Huntington told Private Eye that after posting about Edward’s leg problems, the couple had been ‘inundated by people and dogs from his Instagram following offering their support’.
The advertising executive, who is thought to earn a six-figure salary, added: ‘The response was rather humbling to say the least.’