Sparko was merely a puppy when his owner decided to send him to Essex for training.

His owner affectionately described him as “the gentlest, silliest dog you’d ever encounter.” This cane corso cross had begun to find his footing after being rescued from inadequate living conditions.

However, his trip to the Save A Paw animal rescue center would become the most significant one he would ever make, one from which he would never return.

During a police raid on a property in Crays Hill, near Billericay, Sparko was among 41 deceased dogs discovered inside.

The subsequent investigation spanned across the UK as detectives worked to connect the deceased dogs with their respective owners.

On Monday, 26-year-old Oaveed Rahman, who resided at the Hope Road site, confessed to injuring 21 dogs and a cat, as well as committing 11 counts of fraud through false representation.

It’s a tragic irony that Sparko’s owner, Michelle Halliday, is among the fortunate few who have some knowledge of her pet’s grim outcome.

Many others, however, feel trapped in uncertainty since the disturbing realities behind the closed doors of Save A Paw were unveiled in May 2025.

“Sparko left us as a joyful, sociable dog who adored everyone and everything,” Halliday recalls.

The 49-year-old from Leeds took him in as a puppy after he was advertised for sale on a Facebook page but soon understood he required specialized training.

That’s when she learned about Save A Paw.

“I spoke with Oaveed, and I received emails… expressing gratitude for his dog training assistance,” she recounts.

However, once Sparko was placed in Rahman’s care in January 2025, communication began to wane. Halliday says she quickly started to sense that something was amiss.

“I pleaded desperately to retrieve Sparko. In the meantime, [Rahman] was playing games and knew that Sparko was no longer with him,” she says.

“The thought of Sparko and the others being frightened and confused about their circumstances breaks my heart.”

It was eight weeks post-police raid, on May 13, 2025, when Halliday received the devastating news that one of the bodies found had been identified as Sparko’s.

“I can honestly say this will haunt me and the other owners for the rest of our lives,” she states.

“I feel immense guilt for entrusting Sparko to that monster.”

In light of the raid at Hope Road, Basildon Council initiated an internal investigation, during which an additional 20 dogs were discovered alive and in desperate need of care.

Council officers are currently working to ascertain whether any complaints had been filed against Save A Paw prior to the horrific discovery.

Caroline Park, 54, finds herself without any answers regarding her dogs’ fates.

Deebo and Demon were sent to Save A Paw in late 2024 due to family circumstances requiring a short-term living arrangement for them.

After losing contact with Rahman, the 54-year-old from Northumberland learned that Deebo had been given away without her consent.

She remains in the dark about Demon’s whereabouts.

“Did he die of starvation? Was he beaten to death?” she wonders.

“Was he among the unidentified dogs, too far decomposed for identification?”

The uncertainty, Park admits, consumes her thoughts daily.

“Many people outside Essex are oblivious to the horrors that unfolded on Hope Road.”

Sharon Duffy from Nottinghamshire is another owner anxiously seeking answers.

She had entrusted her eight-month-old cane corso cross, Kingsley, to a friend, who subsequently took him to Save A Paw in December 2024.

Now, Duffy believes this sequence of events to be among the gravest mistakes of her life.

“I wept for months after receiving that fateful phone call,” the 57-year-old recalls, recounting the shock of learning about the police raid.

“When I visited the property to lay flowers, I could smell death in the air.”

Duffy, like many others, has found comfort within an online community of victims who are united in their quest for closure.

Carla Patrick, 48, started a Facebook page after she lost contact with Rahman regarding her two-year-old American bulldog, Ricky, who was sent to Save A Paw in December 2024.

Almost immediately, she was inundated with messages from other Save A Paw clients anxious about their pets’ wellbeing.

“It affects me every day. ‘Terrible’ is the only way to describe it,” states the south London resident.

“I had numerous conversations with Oaveed Rahman, providing him countless opportunities to rectify the situation so we could retrieve our dogs.

“Some of his actions are brutal and deliberate. He’s a truly despicable individual.”

Rahman is set to face sentencing at Basildon Crown Court on February 20.