The dog owner is probably in shock as it is and the last thing they need right now is more stress, their dogs life could be in the balance. Similarly you will be in shock as well and have a damaged car which can be fixed albeit at your inconvenience.
Having said that the dog owner may not have pet insurance, lots of people don't, so any claim against them would be a personal claim were one to be made. If they do have pet insurance then Third party liability (dogs only) cover is usually included in the policy and they could claim on their policy for the incident in question assuming they accepted liability of course. Alternatively you could claim on your own insurance or pay yourself to save the dog owner further stress.
It's worth considering phoning the dog owner to see how the dog is doing and how the owner is coping. If the dog has died or is seriously injured then I'd suggest you send your condolences and leave it at that, the owner will need time to grieve and so will you, the money issue is secondary.
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I've been thinking a lot about this. I got an estimate for getting the repair done today and I'm going to swallow the cost even though I technically could claim. The cost is less than my excess (I have quite a large volountary excess).
I called my insurance company and they aren't interested in the accident as there's no possibility of a claim against me.
I'll probably give the dog owner a call but I'm going to leave it a few days.
Thanks for all the advice.
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I think that that's a very moral and old-fashioned view - to be applauded.
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I think that that's a very moral and old-fashioned view - to be applauded.
Absolutely.
Until the OP gets a letter from the dog's owner's pet insurance company demanding compensation......
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When this was posted yesterday, I wrote a paragraph suggesting that you grit your teeth and swallow the cost. But I thought it inappropriate and a little soppy so didn't post it.
As a pet owner I know how upset I'd be if you were to claim against me if my pet had died since. Not that I'd curse you though; you're out of pocket through no fault of your own. I'd curse humanity for being so cruel!
Anyway, I hope you manage to resolve this as you see fit. Agree it'd be really nice to ask how the dog is doing (prepare for "dead"). It is a big shame however that you've been left with a bill for hundreds of quid.
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TBH, there is some justification for making pet (read dog) insurance mandatory. If you cant afford the consequences of pet ownership or the monthly insurance premium you cant afford one.
(he says having claimed 900 quids in vet bills to save fifis life last year. I cant imagine the the grief in having to let your dog die because you cant afford to save it)
I ran over a dog- many many many years ago. It lost its leg, but lived to an active ripe old age on three, and I used to visit it every year with some treats, whereby it used to try and savage me every year. The owner claimed this hatred of me was keeping the thing alive.
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AE very good!
I agree about pet insurance. I have a soppy moggy and pay £13 a month for him, fully comprehensive. Even he could end up costing a motorist hundreds of pounds if he wandered into the road. My insurance is so good that if this should happen, I'll get £2000 for immediate payment. You could call it a conflict of interests though!
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whereby it used to try and savage me every year
Fair Do's and respect to you and the dog !
I would fel responsible in most scenarios - Mrs P's usual binary view of the world is softened by our new Cocker - she challenged me only yesterday for daring to think of buying cheap food for him.
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