Robert Angel had specific instructions for the pet-sitter he entrusted to look after Sooty, his beloved black labrador.
Ruth Buckland, a former dog groomer, was to give medication to Sooty using pork buns while he was overseas. More specifically, Buckland was to microwave the bun, cut it up and hide the medication inside.
Then Sooty would “gobble up” the lot, and she would receive $1,150 for dog-sitting.
The only problem was that Sooty didn’t want to eat the pork buns, according to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (Vcat) in Melbourne.
This sparked a legal row, with Angel, a Melbourne businessman, unsuccessfully seeking $13,444 from Buckland for vet bills, laundry fees, new bedding and medications, and compensation for nine days he spent off work due to the dog’s illness.
Vcat heard that when the pork buns – stipulated by Angel to be microwaved – turned out to be a bust, Buckland tried 20 different types of food – from steak, sardines, yoghurt and homemade lasagne all the way to gluten-free pancakes – to deliver the medication.
Sooty only ate seven of those foods (or six, as the sardines were eventually spat out).
When told of the success Buckland had with using ham to feed the medicine to the dog on 31 July 2022, Angel texted her the next day to say: “Hope Sooty is behaving and taking her ham and pills!”
She later texted that she used chicken and stuffing to deliver the dog’s medication.
Angel replied: “[W]e too have to be creative with the pills she’s too clever by half” and did not object to the sitter feeding Sooty stuffing.
He later raised the fact that Sooty had previously had pancreatitis – the tribunal heard the dog had a history of illnesses dating back to 2013 – and asked Buckland to steer clear of stuffing.
On 9 August 2022, Angel had a telephone conversation with Buckland, asking the sitter to mind Sooty for an extra five days, to which she agreed.
He asked Buckland to use a small amount of ice-cream on the pork bun to entice Sooty to take the medication.
Angel returned from overseas, and brought Sooty home on 17 August 2022. Over the coming days, Angel says Sooty had worsening diarrhoea. Angel took Sooty to the vet on 21 August, after noticing she was eating grass, and had vomited. That evening she was transferred to the emergency vet clinic.
Angel blamed Buckland for not following his instructions, and sought compensation.
The Vcat judgment said there was an “overestimation of Sooty’s fondness for pork buns” which did not equate to Buckland’s experience of the “ease with which Sooty could be fed medication”.
“The notes in the meal plan state ‘no other food’, but do not mention that Sooty has any issues with pancreatitis or previous issues with gastroenteritis,” the judgment said.
The Vcat member Dr Philip Bender said there was no proof that Sooty’s illness was caused by Buckland’s actions and the wide range of food she tried to tempt the labrador with.
“Sooty did have a long history of many health problems, including a history of gastroenteritis,” Bender said. “The clinical notes for Village Pet … record a long history of significant health issues with Sooty.
“Sooty had been on the restricted diet relatively recently in mid-2021 and still had a bout of gastroenteritis then in 2021.
“In those circumstances, I am not satisfied that the illness that occurred in 2022 was caused by the actions of Ms Buckland.”
According to the Herald Sun, Sooty died of old age before the verdict, which Angel flagged he may appeal.
The RSPCA website advises pet owners to play “hide and seek” with their pet’s medication by hiding tablets in a desirable food such as a spoon of peanut butter or plain yoghurt. It says people experiencing difficulties can also crush up tablets and mix it with their dog’s food, subject to vet advice.
