THE owner of a dog seriously injured in a hit and run accident has appealed to the driver to “at least apologise.”

Five year old Welsh collie Layla was left with a broken leg, broken sternum and several broken ribs after being run over in Amersham on Saturday, August 28. Vet bills so far have totted up to £4,500. “I have pet insurance up to £2,500 but I’ve got to find the rest myself,” said her owner Claire Cassell, a 21 year old cleaner who lives in Sedgmoor Road, Flackwell Heath. “Problem is I’d just given in my notice to my last employer. I’m without a job at the moment. I'm doing boot sales and all sorts to raise the cash.”

She added: “Even if the driver of the car didn’t give me any money I just wish they would at least apologise or ask how the dog is doing.”

The accident happened after Claire and her boy friend Lee Butterworth stopped their green Peugot 106 in King George V Road to take Layla and Claire’s other collie Jasper for a walk in the park.

“Layla was full of energy that morning. She jumped out of the passenger door and ran round the front of the car to come to find me. When she was half way round the front, her head and the front half of her was hit by what we think was a Ford Focus type of car. It was either dark blue or black.

“The driver didn’t stop, he sped up if anything. I was too shocked to notice much about the car but that’s what Lee remembers.”

Claire scooped up her injured pet and took her to Brook House Veterinary Surgery in Bourne End. She later had surgery to insert a metal plate in her leg at The Royal Veterinary College in North Mimms.

Layla is back home this week and recovering well, says her owner. “The police told us it was illegal for a motorist not to stop after an accident causing injury to an animal of dog size up. Hopefully they’ll be able to trace the car through CCTV. Knocking down my dog will have left a big bump on the bumper. Good.”