Raw Deal: Owner chases builder for vets fees after pet dog gets through fence

When Cameron McEwan’s beloved dog Molly didn’t return to the house after her usual brief nightly wander around the garden, alarm bells began to ring.

The retired food scientist lets his 14-year-old Labrador outside for a few minutes before he goes to bed – but this time she was nowhere to be seen.

When Cameron looked for her, he discovered that Molly must have squeezed through a makeshift fence erected at his next-door neighbour’s house and had disappeared.

The barrier had been put up by local firm Caledonia Construction while they were working at his neighbour’s property in Dumfries last November.

“I was asked if part of my fence could be temporarily removed to allow for access for building work,” said Cameron, 74. “I agreed on the terms that a temporary secure barrier be erected so that my dog could not get out of our otherwise securely fenced garden.”

Armed with torches and umbrellas, Cameron and his son Neil spent much of the night combing the streets for Molly but she was nowhere to be found.

“I was very worried about her because it was a very cold night and it had been raining the whole time,” he said. “As the hours went by with no sign of her I feared the worst because Molly is getting pretty old now.

“I worried that if no one had found her and taken her inside then she could be in serious trouble.”

Cameron and his wife Helen got Molly from a rescue kennel when she was just a pup.

“She has been part of the family since” he said.

The following day, there was good news when a delivery driver contacted the family to say that he had found Molly earlier that morning at the side of a road. She was safe, but was frightened and confused.

“My son had put out an appeal on Facebook and the driver had seen it and messaged him,” Cameron said. “Molly had been found covered in frost and had apparently been bumped by a passing van.

“She wasn’t badly injured but she was limping and had been very distressed when the driver found her.

“He kept her in his vehicle with the heating on full blast to warm her up while he was doing his rounds.

“He sent us a picture of her – and there she was she was sitting up in the front seat of the van like Lady Muck.”

© Andrew Cawley

Cameron took the dog to the vet where it was discovered she had suffered bruising to her back and had a chill in her kidneys, causing her to be temporarily incontinent.

The vet prescribed antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medicines and the treatment cost Cameron £176.

The next day, he emailed the building company who had put the barrier up and told them what had happened.

Cameron said he was surprised when one of the firm’s directors, Kieran Downey, then turned up at his door.

“He apologised and said the company would cover the bill but that it was not worth claiming on their insurance due to the excess, so I gave him a copy of it to take away with him,” Cameron said.

When he heard nothing further in the following weeks – and no money arrived – he emailed the firm a number of times to remind them about the issue but he got no response.

At this point, Cameron wrote to Raw Deal for advice and we contacted Caledonia Construction on his behalf.

The firm’s boss, Mr Downey, explained that lockdowns and the Christmas holidays meant he hadn’t got round to dealing with it – but vowed he would stump up.

“I don’t believe that this incident was our fault but we will pay the vet bill as a gesture of goodwill,” he confirmed.

Cameron said Molly had since recovered well from her ordeal and that he was grateful to Raw Deal for stepping in.

“This was never about the money but the principal,” he said. “I would have had no hesitation in taking this to the small claims court if it had dragged on much longer.”