What should I have done? -> Updated
A pitbull got my cat this morning. Cat is in the hospital and dog owner gave them his credit card. I finally have a minute to breathe, and am trying to think what I could have done differently, for ...
Forum Discussion
Naio wrote:
I had a bad shock on the phone with vet tech just now. When I arrived at ER with cat and the dog owner, and I was filling out intake paperwork, I asked dog owner his last name, to put him down as responsible party. He took the clipboard out of my hands and said he was writing down his name and address. He then took the forms over to the intake window, conferred with the woman there, gave her his credit card, etc.
Vet tech now tells me they did NOT get his last name or address, and that he is not on any paperwork as responsible party. And he is not returning their phone calls.
I feel dumb that I trusted, but the vet intake woman was right there when he said he was writing himself down as responsible party, and she bent over the form with him. I never imagined they were not doing what they said they were doing.
Is there anything I can do, legally? We are looking at about $1000-1500 in addition to the $1800 that he did pay at intake.
If they took his credit card, they have his name -- unless he used a stolen/fake credit card. But you should talk to the vet clinic owner about the vet intake woman not making certain he did put down his information on that form -- why didn't she in the first place? Collusion from acquaintances? She's one of his family? Under the table bribe? Something very smelly there.
Even if there's not collusion going on, the owner needs to make sure the paperwork gets filled out properly every time. Retraining, administrative penalties, someone gets fired -- the owner can do all these as needed to make certain it doesn't happen again.
You do need to file a police report and talk to Animal Control about this situation, since it's pretty clear now the dog owner isn't going to follow through.
