Real life MMD:My neighbour's dog ate my wife's best shoes!

rsbystry

You should do all you can to get them for the best price you can find, then, since the friend has offered to replace them, you let the friend know how much they are to replace. simples

joehoover

It sounds like you have a good relationship with your neighbour and they were honestly distraught at what happened, maybe they just hadn't the money at the time, January is always a tough month, maybe somethign will come through now it's February. Give them the benefit of the doubt, no point souring a good relationship over this.

At least your wife put wellies on - reminds me when I was gardeingin in a house share and one flatmate came to help and she changed into a ballgown to do it - very weird. The rest of us still laugh about that when we meet up.

Anyway....I digress. I think you need to find a way to make a gentle reminder

sassysez

£89 for a pair of shoes?!?! Does anybody else think that's a bit extravagant? i would have them in a very safe place and would only wear them on special occasions not just for popping round to the neighbours in! I wouldn't be complaining if i could afford shoes like that, people may take offence.

mig25_foxbat2003

A good relationship with a neighbour is worth more than a new pair of shoes. By offering to pay, she's shown herself to be a good sort - tell her not to worry but that she can owe you a favour or something.

Cabbagewhite

I really can't believe some of the replies on here. I, personally, have to pay a lot for my footwear because of a medical condition, I would expect the dog owner to REPLACE with the closest matching new pair - why should I be out of pocket because of their poorly trained dog. They are most likely insured either through pet insurance or contents insurance. I only have a few pairs of shoes because of their cost, so to lose the use of a pair through someone else's animal would be a hardship, especially as I am on a fixed income. Should it have been the other way round though, I would have paid up for the cost of the replacements. Even if they were a cheap pair of shoes they should still be replaced, the only exception being if they were a very old pair kept for gardening/decorating etc.

I have to say it always amazes me when people talk about dogs destroying shoes, sofas, etc. It is always a sign that the dog has not been properly trained, or has access to things they should not when they are unsupervised. I would never let my dogs have access to visitors' shoes, not because they will chew them, but because with new human smells they may well mark their territory and wee on them. I can't see any way that it is not the dog owner's fault.

gerbiljo

theres no way id expect someone to buy me new shoes, surely she was aware the neighbour had a dog- u can't predict an animals behaviour- why take 2 pairs of shoes surely she wouldn't be wearing them in her neighbours house (she might damage the carpet!). If public places will not take responsibility for your items and they have insurance etc how can someone privately. what if the shoes gets stuck in the animals guts and it needs an operation to get them out? how far do you take these things. it doesn't say if the neighbour was aware of the change of shoes, maybe she let herself in or the door was left so she could get in? The neighbour did the decent thing and offered to pay, id leave it be in the interest of neighbourliness! Anyone who spends that much on shoes is bonkers imo not that that is the issue!!!! or id of emailed back and said something next drink is on you etc... insurance excesses usually rule out going down that route

cdpdad

Yes neighbour is responsible & has acknowledged this. It would be unreasonable to ask for more than original cost, and not that much if the shoes were old enough to show wear. Asking more would certainly prejudice your relationship with your neighbour, which seems to have been good so far if (presumably) she had asked for advice and you were giving it. Accidents happen, being prepared to grin and bear a little pain in the interest of harmony is not a sign of weakness!

Mel511

Badger_Lady wrote: »

If they are good quality shoes, perhaps they're repairable? Find out how much a decent cobbler would charge to restore them or even to rebuild using the old sole. A cheap pair wouldn't be worth the effort, but something worth over £100 could have extensive repairs done for less than £50 and the neighbour could pay for that.

I find it difficult to believe that the dog can have completely destroyed the shoes, though please correct me if I'm wrong.

Yes, I'm afraid you are wrong. It is possible for a dog to destroy shoes in a matter of minutes - my dog has. I know to inform all guests to my house to place their shoes in the cupboard or out of reach of my dog to prevent this happening, and if it still does then my pet insurance will cover it.

Your neighbour may also have pet insurance which covers public liability and can claim on that. This website has links on this very product.

If she does not have it, then the lesson learnt will be to cover the full cost of replacing the shoes (regardless of how much was paid) and take out the necessary insurance so that next time this happens she is covered.

LinAnn

How long have you been neighbours? Long enough to talk about the garden so presumably long enough to know what the dog's like. Who wears expensive shoes and takes a pair of wellies to go to next doors garden? write it off to experience and be careful next time you visit your neighbours (if you're invited of course!)

Gresp

Would your wife have bought the shoes at full price?

If not, there's no way you can reasonably ask your neighbour to pay full price. That would just be a con!

Even if your wife would have paid full price, I'd still feel extremely guilty about asking your neighbour - who is presumably a friend - to pay more than your wife did.

As others have suggested, replacing the shoes with a close match at a similar price, then presenting your neighbour with a receipt, would seem reasonable. Or if you're lucky, you might find another bargain!

But yes, you should definitely ask your neighbour for this money. He/she offered after all, and the dog is his/her responsibility.