'Miss Doolittle' comes to Diesel's rescue
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THE owner of a puppy who faced being put to sleep after an accident left his back leg completely disfigured has thanked Moray’s ‘Miss Doolittle’ for coming to the rescue.
Cross-lab Diesel was playfully running along the beach this week, albeit with just three legs, to the pride of owner Tracy Beattie, who was cheering ‘as though she had won the lottery’.
His wagging tail belied the traumatic experience which the seven-month old pup endured just a few weeks ago, having shattered a back leg after becoming stuck as he attempted to leap the garden fence at his Elgin home. “I think the whole of Elgin could hear him yelp, he was lying on the ground completely shaking; it was just horrendous,” said Tracy.
Vets said the dog could undergo an operation, which may or may not work; have the limb amputated; or be put to sleep.
“The third one was never an option in my head. I would have sold my car and everything in my house to get that dog what it needed,” said Tracy.
Already facing a difficult choice, the realisation dawned that Tracy (26) didn’t have enough money to meet the £170 X-ray costs, let along the £1,200 amputation bill.
To make matters worse, the animal-lover, who has two older dogs insured, had called that morning to add Diesel to the policy. However, she was told to phone back with more information.
“I was wandering the street for ages and I was beside myself, I couldn’t stop crying. So when I finally got myself together I went in and spoke to Meg,” Tracy said, having read about her charity work in ‘The Northern Scot’.
Meg Grant, a.k.a. Miss Doolittle, set up a fund earlier this year to help another local dog receive urgent medical help after its owner was unable to meet the costs.
The chip-shop worker, aided by her band of Doolittlers, has since held regular car boot sales and has gone on to help countless other animals, and their owners, in the Elgin area.
“Meg listened and then just said, ‘Tell the vet to do what they need to do’, and said she would go in after she had finished her work and pay it,” said Tracy.
See Friday's Northern Scot for full story.
