An East Lothian family is “devastated” after claiming a delivery driver left their gate open, allowing their dog to escape and be hit by a car.
Bonnie, a three-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog, was the beloved pet of the Tranent family of five – and helped support their children with autism.
The incident took place just two days after Christmas on December 27 and marks the family’s second loss of a pet in just three months after their golden retriever passed away from cancer in October.
Edinburgh Live spoke to Dave Murphy, who said the family is “heartbroken” and that the children are “struggling” with the losses.
He said: “We are absolutely heartbroken. We collected Bonnie’s ashes this morning (December 31).
“I think people that don’t have dogs just see them as a dog, but our kids have autism. One is severely autistic and he’s unable to go school and doesn’t have any friends. Bonnie was so suited to him. She wasn’t just a dog, she was an important part of us.”
Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
Maggie (left) and Bonnie (right) sadly passed away within a few months of each other
(Image: Supplied)
Bonnie’s loss was especially challenging for the family since their other dog, a four-year-old golden retriever named Maggie, passed away in October from cancer.
Dave added: “With losing Maggie, we couldn’t fight against what she had. We made the decision to let her go because she wasn’t going to get better. That was so hard, but we made the decision for her benefit. But there was no reason for Bonnie to die.”
“Bonnie was only three years old so we thought we had so much more time with her. The kids are only struggling with losing not just one but both dogs in the space of two months. The house just feels so empty.
Dave added that for children with autism, these losses can be particularly challenging.
He added: “For children with autism, it’s all about routine and relying on things being the same. When you take it away, it’s not just like the dog isn’t there. It’s a whole break of routine. Processing that is so much harder for them than for someone who is neurotypical.”
The family of five is “heartbroken” after losing Bonnie
(Image: Supplied)
The family claims that this is not the first time Amazon delivery drivers have left their gate open. They even installed a latch to allow the gate to be closed easier.
Dave said: “I hope that delivery drivers and anyone opening someone’s gate know to close the gate behind you. You wouldn’t leave someone’s front door open behind you.”
The family has young children who often play in the yard and Dave added: “It could’ve been our son that was in the street.”
An Amazon spokesperson said: “We send our condolences to the family and have launched an investigation into the incident.”
Join Edinburgh Live’s Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.