A mum has been left heartbroken after her dog died in her arms after being run over in Edinburgh. Laura Kilgallon, 40, had been out walking her beloved eight-year-old Shih Tzu, Woody, when a motor, believed to be a private hire taxi, struck the pooch.
She had been crossing a road in the Buckstone Bank area of the city at around 8pm on Friday, December 2, when the pet was run over. The nurse claims that the driver of the taxi said that he hadn't seen the dog before getting back in his vehicle and driving off to complete the job.
Laura was left scrambling for help as the furry family member died in her arms, before she had to go home and break the devastating news to her children just weeks before Christmas.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, the healthcare worker said: "I was walking him on his last walk of the day and had a lead on - it was the retractable one. We were crossing the road near the school when he was hit. The taxi went over him and crushed him he had just been walking in front of me and it all happened so fast.
"The driver got out and claimed he didn't see him and stated that he didn't have a light on but as a driver, it is his duty to see him. This happened on a local street in a built-up residential area that is a 20mph zone with well-lit streets."
Laura then held little Woody in her arms as she looked for help but tragically when they got him to a vet he was pronounced dead. She said: "The driver then headed on his way to take his fare to their destination and I was left walking with my dog in my arms, I didn’t have a mobile phone on me and my dog died in my arms whilst I tried to seek help.
"I took him to the vet hospital and they confirmed he had gone. I’m finding it difficult to look at pictures of him so heartbreaking. Our Cmas is now tainted he was the best big brother and protector of us. He was a character and our hearts break."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We received a report that a vehicle had struck and killed a dog at 8pm on Friday, December 2, on Buckstone Road, Edinburgh. Enquiries are ongoing."
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