I think it is important for all present and potential clients of Dog Gone Runn (DGR) to understand Vic Pimentel (VP) and Louanne Blackburns (LB) business practice in regard to injuries sustained by dogs admittedly caused by VP and LB while under their care.
My dog was dropped off at DGR on September 29 at approximately 8:00 A.M. At approximately 8:30 A.M. My wife received a phone message from (VP). He stated our dog had an eye injury and that my wife should come and pick him up. When my wife called (VP) back he did not take the opportunity to inform her of the full extent of the injury. As a result she was no way prepared for the shocking moment when she first saw our dog with his eyeball displaced from the socket. On her arrival (VP) was in the field and my wife was distressed to discover that our dog had been left alone in the office without any preventative measures being taken to eliminate further damage to the eye from rubbing or scratching. (VP's) then offered his explanation for the injury which was that he had closed the heavy farm gate on our dog's head.
When my wife subsequently spoke to (VP) to inform him of the dog's condition he stated "he wanted to take care of everything". When asked if he had insurance, he stated I want to take care of everything, it has nothing to do with insurance, its a personal thing".
The Ophthalmologist's, at Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn, diagnosis was not good. The dog would be permanently blind in the injured eye. At that time we were told he would most likely need to have his eye removed. He had surgery to put his eye back in the socket and his eye was permanently stitched closed. When his stitches were removed two weeks later the Ophthalmologist was delighted with what she called a good outcome. Although sightless she was able to save the eye.
He has been to Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn at least twelve times since the incident. The medical expenses presently are in excess of five thousand dollars and ongoing.
We submitted a list of paid invoices to (DGR). (VP) submitted them to his insurance company rather than reimburse us as he stated originally. The insurance company denied the claim based on the Release which every client of (DGR) executes, even though there was gross negligence on the part of one of the owners, which caused our two year old dog to lose his sight in one eye. According to the insurance company the previously referred to document releases (DGR) from liability. As far as they are concerned, any cost-incurring situation your dog is involved in while under the care of the owners, employees or representatives of (DGR) is solely the dog-owners responsibility. This leaves the owners of (DGR), personally, who had already accepted responsibility for causing the injury and who had previously offered to compensate us for the medical expenses, the sole source for reimbursement.
I had a discussion with (VP) and he offered to pay between $600.00 and $1,000.00, which represented, in his opinion only, "the amount to remove the eye and sew the socket shut. This offer was made with no consideration of the medical situation that would most benefit our dog and without (VP) having any realistic knowledge of the cost of surgery to remove an eye. Eye removal was fortunately not necessary, but incidentally would also have incurred further surgery, resulting in similar costs and, without doubt, not the best future prognosis for our dog. He is offering to settle a case, for which he admits 100 percent responsibility, for between 10 to 20 percent of the expenses thus far.
Please be aware that if your dog is seriously injured and it is due to direct negligence on the part of the owners and/or their agents, employees, etc. It is the dog owner who will have the cost to bear.
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