For animal lovers

[veejer]

All you can do is ask that she share expenses, and I would expect her to say "No,", but you could be surprised and she says, "Yes."

I'm so sorry about your puppy, Closetnerd. I agree with shay.

Out of curiosity, how old is this woman and was she alone at the time?

[Lil Bit]

I'm so sorry about what happened. I had a Boston Terrier for 11 years so the story hit home for me. It's so hard to watch an animal that you love suffer any kind of pain.

I would talk to the woman and tell her what the vet told you. Maybe if you confront her with facts from a professional she will break down and tell you what really happened. I hope she will help you with the expenses at least.

Give Murphey a big hug and get well soon wish from me!

[misskitty]

doxie: Henry and Simon are just tooo cute together helping with the big cookout!

ClosetNerd: I'm so very sorry to hear about Murphey. I agree with everyone else. I would confront the evil Godmother with the facts from the vet that Murphy's leg was indeed broken, not from a slip or a fall. Ask her what really happened. Then ask why on earth she would not tell them the truth over the phone, that Murphey's leg was probably broken, so you could have had the opportunity to decide whether you wanted to return or send him to a vet hospital asap. Also, I would suggest that they pay half the bill $300 because Murpehy was left in their care and he wasn't given proper care!

And, just to get them to realize how much little Murphey means to you, I would switch the situation around and ask her how she would feel if you were babysitting one of their kitties while they were gone and one ended up with a broken leg!

Meowza! I hope that Little Murphey heals well and gets better soon.

[ClosetNerd]

Thanks for all of the help everyone. I will talk to my husband tonight and we will try to come up with a diplomatic and nice way to explain the situation to her. Veejer: I am not exactly sure how old she is. Somewhere in her 40s I believe. And yes she was alone with Murphey. Her husband was with my Father in law at the time.

[prhoshay]

I'm guessing she stepped on him and snapped his leg. Puppies, like kittens, are all over the place and they can get under your feet when you least expect it. They are just busy beings. If you haven't been around baby animals in a while, you can forget just how active they can be. I'm sure it wasn't malicious.

[ClosetNerd]

That is my guess too. If it is the case though, I just wish she would say it. Accidents happen, I understand that. But I don't like doubting someone's honesty

[MRD]

Well telling you the truth and telling you WHEN it happened so you could come home is much better than trying to make up a lie. Poor Murphy. I hate to think how much pain he was in while she was busy making up stories.
I hope you can get it resolved and Murphy heals quickly, poor thing.

I hate leaving my dogs with anyone because I always think that no one will take care of them like I will.

Big hugs to you and to Murphy.

[brunette trixie]

Poor little Murphey. I hope he heals quickly. Accidents happen, and that's not her fault. But to leave that poor lil' puppy in pain for a whole day, that's awful.

[Lucy]

ClosetNerd, I do think you should let her know what the vet said, but don't have any expectations that at this point, she's going to admit anything.

If it makes you feel better about the not-plating decision, animals seem to be very resilient -- my cousins had a dog who got a leg cut off by my grandfather's tractor, and he spent the rest of his life running around on three legs just as he had on four.

[doxie]

They're certainly cuter than Paula's dogs.

Henry and Simon would probably LOVE to sit on Paula's kitchen floor and be taste testers (or catchers if she ever dropped some butter!).

That is my guess too. If it is the case though, I just wish she would say it. Accidents happen, I understand that. But I don't like doubting someone's honesty.

Best wishes. I agree with the above posters. She should take at least SOME financial responsibility for your dog's injury because she wanted to dog-sit. She probably feels horribly about it, and I hope that she does the right thing by helping you out with Murphey's care. I also hope that little guy heals fast and is back to normal soon.