to pay or not to pay?

helzbelz_57

last month my dog escaped from the garden while i was collecting OH fom the airport. i got a phonecall from a young man saying he had knocked him down and what should he do. i asked if he would either stay with the dog til i arrived ( i was about half an hour away) or i could call my aunt who was closer to come and get the dog. he wasnt badly hurt, a scratch on the head and leg. he said he would stay til my aunt arrived. when my aunt got there the man had called his cousin who was a vet to come out. the vet then proceeded to give the dog two shots. my aunt took the dog home with her. the following day the vet phoned me to check how the dog was and took my name and address to 'update his records'. he didnt say he had given the dog shots. so i have just received a bill from the vet for a call out fee and the cost of the shots. do i have an obligation to pay this? i didnt call him out or ask him to administer any medical care to the dog, the first i spoke to him was the following day. the man who knocked the dog down didnt ask me if i wanted the vet to be called, he just did it himself. the dogs injuries didnt require a vet to be called in my opinion and if they had i would have called my own vet. so really im asking do i legally have to pay for this?

niceday999

I cant beleive you would quibble over not paying. You should have secured your garden to make sure the dog did not get out. I would have been so grateful that my dog was not knocked down and killed, i would be paying the bill and kissing the vets feet.

tara747

The cheek!!!!!!!!!!!!! He knocked your dog down and he's expecting YOU to pay for the vet who treated it, whom he called out himself? :eek:

You most certainly should not pay. Do you have the man's contact details? If not, ring the vet and explain the situation and remind him that it was his cousin who injured your dog.

I am (almost) speechless.

NAR

The young man had the decency to phone OP; was concerned enough for the dog's well-being to call his cousin to come and check the dog's welfare out; wasn't responsible for the dog roaming the streets illegally in the first place - but tara747 thinks the OP shouldn't pay - the cheek!!!!!

CL

Firstly, I like dogs and this could happen to anyone and I sympathise with you, but if I were you, I would consider my self lucky that the driver of the car has not claimed against you for damage to his car. I wouldn't rock the boat with a relative of this person.

moneysaver12

I would pay and in future keep your dog in the house. It is lucky that the dog wasn't killed. When we go out we always leave our dog in the house, only time he is in the garden is when we are in and then we check on him. I think that the man did the decent thing in contacting you.

Indo77

Unless this is some scam and the vet isn't actually a vet I would pay up.

Wookey

Pay for it? Legally probably not, morally...well thats up to the individual.

SnowyOwl_2

Don't push your luck... your dog was straying, no point in blaming the dog for getting out. Ensuring he is unable to get out is your responsibility. At least he encountered someone responsible enough to stop, shame he was hit in the first place but at least it led to him and you being reunited. However much the bill it'll be cheap compared to what some dogs have been known to do when not under proper control, ie sheep worrying etc. If you're suspicious of it not being a proper vet then you can always visit his/her office and see for yourself.

And as for thinking that a dog which had just been hit by a car didn't need to see a vet...
do you think dogs are made out of rubber or something indestructable?????

jenny-wren

Surely any responsible dog owner would put the dog's welfare before money?

If it were my dog and someone had cared enough to call a vet ASAP to check that the dog was OK and not in any pain I'd be giving him something for his trouble - as well as paying the vet bill. After all it's not his fault your dog ran into the path of his car and he could just have easily have driven off.

I would have done exactly the same in his position, except I'd have needed a shot as well! I can imagine how badly he must have felt when it happened. Put yourself in his position. Do you think it was easy for him to pick up the phone and say 'I've just hit your dog'?

Lobell

tara747 wrote: »

The cheek!!!!!!!!!!!!! He knocked your dog down and he's expecting YOU to pay for the vet who treated it, whom he called out himself? :eek:

You most certainly should not pay. Do you have the man's contact details? If not, ring the vet and explain the situation and remind him that it was his cousin who injured your dog.

I am (almost) speechless.

It's the dog owners fault that the dog was out and got knocked down - not the fault of the driver. Indeed, if the accident had been worse and/or the driver's car damaged, the driver would have been within his rights to claim against the dog owner - this is why most pet insurance policies have third party cover.

The young man did the right thing on all counts, IMO. If it had been one of my dogs that had been knocked down, I would have been extremely grateful that he contacted me and that he called a vet and wouldn't hesitate to pay the bill. I also can't believe that the OP wouldn't consider a vet necessary at all following an RTA. Internal injuries can take some time to become apparent and by the time they do it can be too late to do anything about them.