Accident to dog whilst in my care

williamsl5

Hi
I've been lurking around the forums for a while but never posted. Would really appreciate people's view on this issue.

I recently joined up to BorrowMyDoggy as due to work commitments I haven't been able to have a dog of my own, and felt that this way I could have the pleasure of a dog's company, as well as being able to help the owner out.

Two weeks ago I went to meet a dog. I thought it would just be a quick meet for the owner to see me and check that he thought I was ok to look after his dog.

It ended up that he wanted me to look after the dog for 3 hours that day. In hindsight I should have said no as I wasn't prepared but I ended up taking the dog back to my house with the intention of taking him for a walk.

As we were leaving the house, my cat (who is usually ok with dogs) was coming back to the house, saw the dog outside and went for him. The result was that the dog was scratched in the eye.

Straightaway I knew something was wrong and I tried to contact the owner but the phone went straight to voicemail. About an hour later, I finally got hold of him to let him know what had happened, and whether he wanted me to take the dog to the vet.

He didn't sound overly concerned but I managed to get a vet appointment for 9.15 that evening. Initially he wanted me to take the dog to the vet however as I said to him I felt it was better being his dog that he took him, although I was happy to be there and pay the bill.

The upshot was that my cat had scratched the dog's cornea - he was given antibiotics and a further appointment made for the next day to see if the dog's eye had improved. The next day the owner took the dog back to the vet and they decided he had to see an emergency opthamologist. I again paid this vet's bill (despite the vet actually telling me I had no legal obligation to do so and that they would mark this as a goodwill gesture)

After the dog had been to the opthamologist I had a phone call from the owner to say the dog had to have an operation the following day which would cost between £1500-£2000 which needed to be paid upfront. He asked me for the money and when I said that wouldn't be possible asked me to pay half as if the vet wasn't paid first thing, the operation would not go ahead and the dog could lose his eye.

I called the vet myself who assured me that the dog was having the operation either way and payment was not required upfront. I called the owner back and relayed this and asked to know an update after the operation.

The following day the owner messaged me to say the operation went ok and again mentioned money. At this point I told him that whilst I was really sorry this had happened (I had been in tears all weekend) in the eyes of the law I wasn't liable (as the vet had told me) and that this needed to go through his insurance. I didn't hear anything back.

Until this week - the dog had the follow up appointment yesterday and the owner had to pay £1200 (putting him overdrawn). I was frustrated with this as he still hasn't put the claim into his insurance company and I think still expects me to pay the bill. His excess is £85 which is more than covered by the 2 vet bills I already paid when this first happened (I have already told him he can claim these payments back as part of his claim). He did try to go through BorrowMyDoggy's insurance however they will not pay out as he has insurance through PetPlan.

I have been told by numerous people not to pay any further money as this is the point of the insurance, however I feel so guilty about what happened. Yesterday he left me a VM to tell me the dog would have a permanent scar and his eye may never be 100%. The dog is a beautiful Cavalier King Charles Spaniel only 12 months old and this has devastated me. The owner also kept making a point about the dog's eye being his best feature.

This isn't about the money. If push came to shove I could pay it (in fact when I thought there may be a possibility that this would hold up the operation I was contemplating paying it as I couldn't allow the dog to suffer) but the guilt I have over this whole incident. I have seen the dog since as I popped up some toys and treats for him, but I don't feel this is enough.

Sorry for the long post but really wanted people's advice on what I should do. I haven't called the owner back as I'm sure he will just talk about money but really want him to know how sorry I am.

anna_1977

what a horrible thing to happen for you - I use Borrow my Doggy and don't think I'd be expecting the walker to pay anything bar the insurance excess if anything happened to mine.

The problem with dog insurance is you generally have to pay upfront and then claim the costs back - as you state you've already paid 2 bills that would be more than covered by the excess. Have you phoned borrowmydoggy to talk to them, I believe they have a helpline for borrowers.

Sadly it may be that he's wanting you to pay and then he will claim back on insurance....

I hope you manage to resolve

williamsl5

Hi
Thank you so much for your response.
Yes I have spoken to both BorrowMyDoggy and their insurance company, RSA to try to see if there's anything that can be done. Unfortunately they keep referring to their T&Cs which states that where another insurance policy is in force, the owner is expected to use that.
The frustration is that the owner keeps telling me that he is chasing up BorrowMyDoggy which I think is a lost cause. He doesn't seem to want to go to PetPlan. I actually looked at PetPlan's T&Cs and it seems they usually pay within 5 days direct to the vet so in my opinion this could have been paid out by them now had he just filled out the forms.

happyandcontented

I think you have done as much as you possibly can. Sit tight. Insurance policies are there for a reason, he needs to claim and claim now.

williamsl5

Thanks for your reply. I do feel guilty though that he is having to go through his insurance as he used BorrowMyDoggy in good faith. I suppose though that it was an accident and that is what we take out insurance for.
I hope I have done enough - I've covered his excess and a bit more on top, I just wish there was more I could do to help.

sheramber

He may be under the mistaken idea that Petplan will increase his premiums if he claims.

Petplan do not increase premiums after a claim.

I think you have been more than fair.

A friend looked after my dog while I was on holiday. One day she found a wet patch on my dog's hai and found a weeping hole on her side which required staples to close it.

Nobody knows how it happened. She was 13 so not running around but ambling along as an oldie does.

I willingly paid the vet bill for her treatment. She was my dog.

williamsl5

Thank you. I'm not sure what his reasons are for not claiming, he seems to think I am liable so laying on the guilt trip a bit. I obviously feel guilty as a) this happened when the dog was with me and b) it was my cat that did this.
My only prayer now is that the dog's eye is ok and there's no long term problems.

Red-Squirrel_2

Do you have insurance for your cat? Does it cover third parties for damage caused/costs incurred by your animal? I know a lot of dog insurance policies have this, but not sure about cats.

williamsl5

Hi
We have insurance for our cat but this only covers accidents or injury to the cat. As the law says that cats are free roaming, legally it is very difficult to claim for any damages caused by a cat. I guess the issue here is more of a moral one though as I feel terrible that this has happened and I have tried to help as much as I can by making the initial vet appointment and then paying the initial costs.

kazwookie

I would suggest you have no contact with the dog owner for now, by any method.

They need to claim on their insurance.

Do NOT pay this person any more money.

Red-Squirrel_2

This is a great example of why things like Borrow My Doggy are not as simple as they might first seem.