This time around, we’ve caught up with our customer Kate, to hear more about her dog, Ranni, and what led to her having to make a claim.
Background:
Previously, we had Jax, a Staffy cross Lurcher, that’s what we ended up thinking he was in the end, as we were told he was a Staffy, but he definitely wasn’t, he was far too big, and he had a bit of a Sighthound shape like the big low chest and the little tucked up back end. We were told he lost the dog that he grew up with and was on his own and was really struggling. So, we decided to look for something that would be athletic enough to keep up with him and hardwearing enough to deal with his kind of rough play so, we ended up settling on a Belgian Shepherd, Cario.
Unfortunately, Jax passed away a couple of years ago, so we were then left with our Belgian Shepherd, Cairo who we got to keep Jax company, and then she was in the same position that he’d been in. We tried looking at rescues first because she’s not the most sociable dog. But she would not accept another adult dog, she was great with them when we were out, but when they would come home into her space, she got very territorial.
As a last-ditch effort, we broadened our search and started to look at puppies. We thought perhaps a dog that is significantly younger than Cairo, rather than something that’s old enough to be perceive as a threat, might be more suitable. We went to go and see a litter that ended up being Belgian Shepherds crossed with Greyhounds, and we thought that would be the best of both worlds. We chose Ranni because she was essentially the quietest and least confrontational of the group although that didn’t last very long as she turned out to have a lot of attitude as she grew up.
Ranni is three now and we also have five horses and four ferrets.
What’s your dog’s personality like and what are her favourite things to do?
She is an absolute delight. Very friendly and loving. She actually has amazing football skills. She loves her toys and has never ever destroyed any.
Choosing pet insurance:
Pet insurance is just something that I’ve always had as a fail-safe, mainly from an experience that I learned about as a child. We had a family dog, a Staffordshire Terrier, that ended up getting heatstroke on a walk. When we took him to get treatment at the vets, they found out that he had an enlarged heart and had to be on medication for the rest of his life, which was very expensive for my parents.
It’s something I’ve always had as a pet owner, just in case there are any hidden surprises like that that you just would never anticipate. I’ve got insurance for my horses, so I don’t see why I wouldn’t have it for my dogs.
How did you come to choose The Insurance Emporium?
We had our horses insured with The Insurance Emporium and then it made sense to us to add a dog when we got a dog, so it was ideal.
Kate’s experience with The Insurance Emporium:
Ranni being Ranni, she broke her tail, almost in half, it was just below the halfway point. She had been playing in the front lobby, which is quite narrow. All of a sudden, I heard an almighty horrible noise and can only assume that she was jumping around and sort of backed into the wall. She must have just put her tail up over her back and snapped it at the breaking point.
When we arrived at the vets, we weren’t aware she had broken her tail. She had an open wound further down on the tail, which is what we were concerned about, and she was still trying to wag her tail and was quite happy. The vets said she needed an x-ray to see what’s going on. They also noticed a temperature difference between the top of the tail and the bottom of the tail which doesn’t bode very well.
Due to where the break was Ranni ended up having to have her tail docked just above the breaking point, so she’s got a third of her tail left now.
We weren’t sure if she’d be able to wag her tail again, she was really tentative about it at first but now it’s like she’s completely forgotten and it’s as if she’s always been like this, so she just doesn’t care.
How did you find the claims process?
Having The Insurance Emporium involved in the process and offering to deal directly with the vet took all the additional stress out of the situation for me, so I could focus solely on Ranni, which is exactly where my focus needed to be at the time. Between The Insurance Emporium and the vets, it was the most streamlined experience I think anybody could ask for, let alone expect, and I really feel like that deserves to be recognised.
When speaking to staff, how did you find this experience?
Absolutely amazing, I called initially with a query and to ask questions and I think what was even better was that I initially reported the wrong condition, but I was still given really accurate advice. She explained everything in great detail, and she was really factual, really pleasant, and really compassionate.
The customer service that I got was tremendous and at every stage, it was just made really easy every time I called for something, when I’d remember that I didn’t ask about something else before, everybody was kind, compassionate, and friendly. They were very well-informed. There was no question that I asked that couldn’t be answered by them then and there. It was really concise comprehensive information and service at every point; there was a really a human touch to it too.
You can tell the people you’re speaking to, nine times out of ten, are a fellow animal lover with their own pets who totally understand why you might be a bit of an emotional wreck at that moment. Every single person when I called, they would ask about Ranni by name. How’s Ranni doing? How’s she recovering, did everything go smoothly? For me, that was very much welcomed and very pleasant.
Here at The Insurance Emporium, we have a range of pet insurance policies including dog, and senior dog. Take a look and get a free, no-strings quote today!
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