Kind-hearted Argus readers dig deep for poorly dog

6:00pm Saturday 26th May 2012 in News By Ben James

A teenager who was told she would lose her dog because she couldn’t afford the vet bills is set to be reunited with the pet – thanks to Argus readers.

Meghan Bingham was told she would have to pay around £2,000 for an operation after Blue was hit by a car last Saturday.

The 17-year-old, who goes to college and works part-time at Poundstretcher, was told that if she couldn’t afford the vet fees, she would have to either sign her pet away to a charity or have it put down.

With no other option, the Lancing girl signed the forms and said goodbye to her beloved nine-year-old dog for the last time.

But following her story appearing in The Argus on Thursday, we have been flooded with phone calls from kind-hearted readers wanting to help out.

With the total amount pledged quickly exceeding the £2,000 estimate, local dog charity manager Billy Elliott said he would be happy to reunite the pair.

An emotional Meghan said: “I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated money.”

Mr Elliott, from Worthing and District Animal Rescue Service (Wadars), said: “We need to make sure whoever adopts one of our animals is able to support them in the future.

“If not, it comes straight back to us next time and we just cannot afford it. We have had people call and criticise us, but if we had not come up with the money last weekend, Blue would have been put down there and then. It’s as simple as that.”

He told The Argus that as long as Meghan could prove she was financially capable of supporting the dog by getting animal insurance, he would be happy to reunite them.

Stacey McSpirit, from the Paws Animal Sanctuary in Findon, was straight onto the phone on Thursday morning pledging her support.

She said: “We saw the story and just wanted to get those two dogs back together.

“We’ve just had some money left to us by a visitor who recently died of cancer. He used to come up to see the animals and would have loved to have help out.

“We don’t normally have much money but thought ‘Let’s do it, it must be fate’.”

Dave Hawkin, who also called us to pledge his support, added: “She seemed like she needed help so I’m only too happy to be of assistance.”

Comments(29)

ButtNuggets says...
6:38pm Sat 26 May 12

Yay

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John Fallon says...
6:49pm Sat 26 May 12

Nice story. Might be an idea to fix the typo in the headline, though.

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Vigilia says...
9:27pm Sat 26 May 12

A heartwarming outcome but I fear she may find it very difficult to obtain affordable insurance for a nine years old dog.
My three younger dogs cost me £120 per month to insure and there is always an excess to be borne for each and every condition.
Faithful & loved domestic pets are a little like one's children, they cost a great deal to maintain.

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gaz scott says...
1:02am Sun 27 May 12

John Fallon wrote:
Nice story. Might be an idea to fix the typo in the headline, though.
Weekend shift! What should we expect we never actually buy the paper any more. My tolerance level for typos goes up when I'm not paying.

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mickeymonkeyman says...
2:52am Sun 27 May 12

did the vet not point out to her the cost before the operation,and he could have pointed out option the RSPCA,then none of this would have occured,glad to say it was a happy ending thanks to the argus and it readers.

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willy harris says...
4:39am Sun 27 May 12

when on the very odd ocassion we have a heartwarming story, do we also get the nit pickers coming too the fore?remarks on the typo??give it a rest guys .a young lady has had a really great reaction from the majority of readers ,so cut her some slack,if you find this impossible just carry on being sarcastic,

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John Steed says...
7:15am Sun 27 May 12

brilliant outcome for megan and Blue, magnificent jesture from PAWS Animal Sanctuary in Findon and the animal loving general public. yet WADARS charity manager Bill Elliott seems still to be missing the point, Blue wasnt one of your dogs in the first place, and you have been shamed into a U turn. remember Mr Elliott stating there was no other way, well happily there was.

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Alison Smith says...
7:19am Sun 27 May 12

Bit harsh Paws, calling the poor girl a "dog" !

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Alison Smith says...
7:19am Sun 27 May 12

Bit harsh Paws, calling the poor girl a "dog" !

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Alison Smith says...
7:21am Sun 27 May 12

Bit harsh Paws, calling the poor girl a "dog" !

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Alison Smith says...
7:21am Sun 27 May 12

Bit harsh Paws, calling the poor girl a "dog" !

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Alison Smith says...
7:25am Sun 27 May 12

So funny the Argus website posted it 4 times!

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worthingite says...
7:29am Sun 27 May 12

Hang on you lot - Ambunionman has not passed judgement on this story - please no more comments until the wise man gets back from his Patient transfer.

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papa_melons says...
7:56am Sun 27 May 12

Alison Smith wrote:
So funny the Argus website posted it 4 times!
so stupid you posted it 4 times

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Gaz the great says...
10:45am Sun 27 May 12

Good news & a good end to the story, well done to Paws for digging deep on their limited income, always a worthy charity to support.

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Alison Smith says...
11:36am Sun 27 May 12

papa_melons wrote:
Alison Smith wrote:
So funny the Argus website posted it 4 times!
so stupid you posted it 4 times
No the site crashed mid post came back up & posted it 4 times

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Alison Smith says...
11:37am Sun 27 May 12

No the site crashed mid post came back up & posted it 4 times

Report this post »

Alison Smith says...
11:39am Sun 27 May 12

No the site crashed mid post came back up & posted it 4 times

Report this post »

Alison Smith says...
11:40am Sun 27 May 12

No the site crashed mid post came back up & posted it 4 times

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Alison Smith says...
11:42am Sun 27 May 12

No the site crashed mid post came back up & posted it 4 times

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Cash Cow says...
5:36pm Sun 27 May 12

So Billy Elliot gave up his career as a bellerina and now works in a dogs home. Seriously though, the girl should have taken the dog to the PDSA and could have made a donation later perhaps. Also, does it really cost £2000 for an operation on an injured animal or is just the vet cashing in on people and animals misfortune?

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tengri says...
6:55pm Sun 27 May 12

Alison Smith wrote:
No the site crashed mid post came back up & posted it 4 times
It's crashed again Alison.

Nice story - animal insurance is a bit of a rip off though. Better to save the premiums every month and take a chance.

Cash Cow - you know the answer to that question. Vets know us dog owners are silly about our pets and take full advantage of it.

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Alison Smith says...
8:13pm Sun 27 May 12

Irony
Irony
Irony
Irony

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AmboGuy says...
10:33pm Sun 27 May 12

Nice story and a good outcome, I wish Meghan and Blue all the very best.

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Juleyanne says...
8:26am Mon 28 May 12

This is an example of a worrying rapidly increasing issue with animal welfare in this country. Veterinary costs have spiralled often 'out of reach' of many pet owners and pet insurance policies frequently either lock policy holders in or completely lock them out on the basis of the age of the animal, whether it has a long term condition and when locked in people are either forced to pay the obscenely racked up premium if the animal has to have ongoing treatment beyond the one year policy or will struggle to find another insurance company to take them on. Many find they are uninsurable once their pet reaches a certain age. The situation is heartbreaking for our nations pets and owners. I believe pet insurance and rocketing costs of veterinary care in this country needs review and regulation as there is a widening gap between those who can afford to keep a pet and those who desperately want to keep their pets but may not be able to meet such exorbitant vet bills and may find themselves locked out of pet insurance due to age of pet or long term conditions. The PDSA has seen a 50% rise in pets needing their care and is there for those on certain benefits. However those on low incomes who do not qualify are finding themselves and their pets in a heartbreaking situation and there are serious animal welfare implications which cannot be ignored. This story has a happy ending for dog and owner but there are many more who are left without an olive branch!

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plantwoman says...
9:55am Mon 28 May 12

If the charity was going to pay for the op and then re-home the dog - why couldn't they give the dog back to it's loving owner anyway? I seem to remember another recent story like this where the pet had to be signed over to a charity, the Vet work was completed and then the animal was rehomed with someone else. To me, it's a very cruel way of doing things.

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iloveanimals says...
11:57pm Mon 28 May 12

I may be missing the point here (and it is lovely they have been reunited) but why was this dog not insured against this happening in the first place, this is one of the main costs you take into account when owning a dog. All responsible owners have their dogs protected against this and keep their dogs vaccinations up to date. Yes it is expensive but for years there has been the slogan 'a dog is for life, not just for Christmas' I think this illustrates how important it is to take on board the financial obligation involved with owning a dog, it is a lifelong committment. From what I have read it sounds to me that Wadars were only actually looking out for the welfare of the dog (which is what the charity is about I think). I wonder what will happen if there is a next time?

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Cash Cow says...
8:32pm Tue 29 May 12

iloveanimals wrote:
I may be missing the point here (and it is lovely they have been reunited) but why was this dog not insured against this happening in the first place, this is one of the main costs you take into account when owning a dog. All responsible owners have their dogs protected against this and keep their dogs vaccinations up to date. Yes it is expensive but for years there has been the slogan 'a dog is for life, not just for Christmas' I think this illustrates how important it is to take on board the financial obligation involved with owning a dog, it is a lifelong committment. From what I have read it sounds to me that Wadars were only actually looking out for the welfare of the dog (which is what the charity is about I think). I wonder what will happen if there is a next time?
You are missing the point! My dog, who has been a member of our family for more than ten years is not insured, the reason being is because I happen to think pet insurance and vet bills are just another scandalous rip off, cashing in the vulnerable. As a previous contributor said, if a charity will take the dog and rehouse it, why can't they just return the dog to it's original family, because that is what it is a family. If you think by taking an animal away from it's life long companions and placing it with someone else just because they have more money is in the best interest of the animal then this suggests to me you have never been a dog owner or you are just a complete moron who contributes to these pages just because you like the sound of your own misguided and ignorant voice. This is the sad story of a young girl who is only 17 who is both studying and working, who like most 17 years hasn't got two thousands pounds, so in future i suggest you think before you speak and perhaps change your username from "iloveanimals" to "ilovethe soundofmyownvoice". Furthermore I don't "own" my dog, she is not a commodity or an asset, she is an animal who shares her life with us, and us with her and we all enjoy each others company.

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iloveanimals says...
12:10am Thu 31 May 12

Cash Cow - Do you really need to be so rude and make such personal comments? I have only written on sites like these a few times and definitely do not like the sound of my own voice, I was only putting my point of view as others have. Why the need to single me out for the personal attack? I only feel that we should protect the ones we love as I definitely wouldnt be able to afford a major operation for either of my dogs, I go without just so I can manage to pay the insurance premiums which, as you rightly say are extortionate, but what other choice is there. I also never said that I felt it was right to take the dog away from its family, only that maybe the family should have insured against this happening if they couldnt afford to pay out the huge vets bills. As to Wadars taking the dog away, paying for the cost of the treatment and then giving the dog to someone who has more money, I dont see that that is what they have done. They agreed to pay the costs to avoid the dog being put to sleep. They are not there to pay vets fees for people, someone like the PDSA are more likely to assist with that, as you quite rightly point out. Wadars and other small charities like them are there to help with the rescue and rehabilitation of animals and wildlife who have been abandoned etc. for what they do I have alot of admiration.

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