A family from Fraserburgh has been left “utterly heartbroken” after their beloved pet was knocked over by a hit-and-run driver.
Cara Ritchie and her family were on holiday in Aviemore when their Cavapoo Ziggy was tragically struck by a car back home in Fraserburgh after escaping their back garden.
The family are now pleading for the person who left him behind on the road to come forward.
Speaking to the Press & Journal, Cara shared how Ziggy had “a lot of life left” as he was only one-and-a-half-years old.
“We’re all utterly heartbroken,” she said.
“My brother Christopher is also in a state as he was looking after the dog.
“My partner is away for Christmas this year, so he had booked an early get away for me and the kids to Aviemore.
“We didn’t take Ziggy as he isn’t good in a car.
“On Thursday evening, Christopher had let him out for a pee and he escaped through the back gate.
“My brother had seen so he ran to get Ziggy down the lane, which put him onto Victoria Street. There’s a play school there so he stopped outside and Christopher thought he would manage to grab him while he was stopped.
“But while he ran across the road to get him, Ziggy saw him coming and thought he was playing as that’s what we would do at home – the kids would run after him and chase him.
“Ziggy had ran onto the road and the car had accidentally drove over him. I know it’s a tragic accident and the driver maybe couldn’t have done anything about it, but we just want closure.
The family is devastated. Image: Cara Ritchie.”I don’t want anything bad to happen, I just want the person to be aware of what they have done.
“We got in touch with the police as it is a hit-and-run, so they took a statement from us and the witnesses. There is also CCTV cameras down the road which are getting looked at.”
Witnesses said that the vehicle in question is a blue Hyundai jeep with a 67 plate. A woman with either blonde or grey hair was supposedly driving.
‘He loved everybody and everybody loved him’
Cara said that the family is “devastated” to have lost Ziggy right before Christmas.
She said: “We had got matching Christmas pyjamas as a family and we got Ziggy the little doggy set to match. We were going to all put them on when we got home.
“He was only a year and a half old, there was a lot of life left in him. He was such a good natured dog. He loved everybody and everybody loved him, he never snapped at the kids.
“He was always bouncing about. Ziggy would follow me everywhere, so it’s really sad he isn’t here anymore.”
As Cara and her family were on holiday in Aviemore when the accident happened, they didn’t find out until after they got home.
Cara explained: “As we were away on our early family Christmas, my mum didn’t want to tell me, so she had waited until we were back to tell us.
“To come back and find out he had passed away and having to tell the kids such sad news was extremely hard.
“Obviously accidents happen, but it’s the fact the person hasn’t stopped – it makes it ten times worse for me.
“It’s our family pet, he was much loved”.
