Amazon driver runs over family’s 12-year-old German Shepherd Molly, leaving them with £1,200 vet bills – then firm offers £25 dog bed as compensation

A family has hit out at Amazon for sending them a £25 dog bed as an ‘apology’ after their dog was run over by a delivery driver – despite being left with a £1,200 vet bill.

CCTV footage shows the moment the driver of a white van runs over 12-year-old German Shepherd Molly, who was sitting in a driveway in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

The delivery driver can be seen reversing with Molly still trapped underneath the vehicle before she managed to escape from under the wheels.

Molly had extensive tissue and ligament damage and may need to be hospitalized if her condition does not improve.

Owner Steve Cockerham, 54, was left £1,200 out of pocket after paying vet costs.

The father-of-two reported the incident, which took place in September, to Amazon’s UK complaints department and was sent a £25 dog bed as an ‘apology’.

Mr Cockerham accepted the ‘gift’ after the retailer told him it would not pay anything until Molly’s treatment was completed, which could take years.

CCTV footage of the moment a white van runs over Molly as she sits in the driveway

Molly had extensive tissue and ligament damage and may need to be hospitalized if her condition does not improve

After the images were published on social media, Mr Cockerham was contacted by a senior executive from Amazon US who told him they ‘needed some time to figure out how to fix this but they were working on it’.

He said: ‘It would have been better not to have given the bed as a gift at all as it felt like a slap in the face. Our youngest dog, Skye, who is only two years old, has since destroyed it.

‘Molly had never experienced a second of cruelty until that driver pulled into the driveway.

‘All he knew was kindness. We all think the world of him. I’m very angry at Amazon and disappointed that they seem to have left a loophole.

‘I find this unacceptable considering we have already spent £1,200 and there is no sign of us getting any of it back.

‘Molly’s treatment may take months or even years. ‘They left us out of pocket and did nothing about it which was causing the problem.’

Mr Cockerham’s youngest dog Skye destroys £25 dog bed Amazon sent as ‘apology’

Mr Cockerham said he did not see the incident happen but realized something was ‘not right’ when he noticed Molly was ‘quite distressed’ later the same day.

But the next day, while investigating Molly’s illness, he came across the CCTV and said he was ‘shocked’ by what he saw.

“The next day I checked the CCTV,” Steve said.

‘I thought to myself ‘this explains everything now’. I was working on my father’s tractor when I heard one of the dogs barking.

‘It was loud enough to make me stop what I was doing. I thought it was an issue with the speed at which the driver was clearing the drive.

‘It didn’t look right as he hurried away. I was so angry, shocked and heartbroken while watching it.

‘My heart almost felt like it was going to burst out of my chest with worry about Molly’s injuries.’

Mr Cockerham called the vets, who took Molly for an x-ray to find out the extent of her injuries.

The incident was also reported to West Yorkshire Police.

A spokesman for the force said: ‘We can confirm we are investigating following a report of an incident outside an address in Otley on 21 September where a dog was injured after being struck by a vehicle.

‘Local NPT Officers are in regular contact with the dog’s owner and the investigation is ongoing.’

A spokesperson for Amazon confirmed that it was ‘aware of the incident involving one of its delivery service partners’ and said ‘the parties are working to resolve the matter as quickly as possible’.