Miracle dog Suki survives 70mph fall

Sandra and Graham McGregor from Falkirk were travelling to London on Tuesday on the M73 with pet labradors Suki and Sasha this week when a driver frantically flagged them down at 70mph.

To their horror, the boot of their BMW 520d estate car had swung open and seven-year-old Suki had fallen out onto the carriageway.

After pulling over onto the hard shoulder Graham had to run around a mile back up the busy road praying Suki had not been killed, or that anyone else had been injured.

He was then overcome with relief when he found Suki lying safely in grass just off the motorway with injured back legs.

The couple then abandoned their trip to see daughter Isla and grandson Rory in London for Halloween and rushed Suki for treatment at Apex Vets in Denny.

Sandra, a former university lecturer, said: “There was a car behind us tooting and gesturing, but I didn’t know what for so I pulled into the other lane.

“He then pulled up beside us and shouted that the boot was open and the dog had fallen out. We were quite shocked because apart from fearing Suki had been killed, it could have caused a massive pile-up on the motorway.”

Former civil engineer Graham said: “It felt like the longest run I’ve ever had to make. Someone else had called police and their were making their way there too, as well as one of the motorway maintenance guys.

“When I got there she seemed fine but we wanted to get her checked out as soon as possible to make sure.”

Veterinary surgeon Douglas Paterson from Apex was amazed Suki had only suffered relatively minor injuries following her ordeal, but said she was lucky.

He said: “She has partial tears in her ligaments in the back legs and was given a morphine drip, antibiotics and fluids. We also rubbed some manuka honey on her legs which really helps.

“If she had torn her ligaments completely she wouldn’t have been able to walk.

“We have given her 14 x-rays and ultrasounds just to make sure there are no internal injuries and everything looks fine. So many things could have happened like puncturing a lung. She has been incredibly lucky.”

Veterinary nurse Chloe Green said: “She has been eating really well and has been absolutely amazing. I don’t think she has been put off being near cars either because she wanted to get in one when we had her out for a walk. She is a brilliant dog.”

Sandra added: “Suki’s legs are really strong. She’s a great swimmer and spends her life in the canal so pulling herself out stengthens her leg muscles I think. She’s very different from Sasha who is a bit calmer.”

It’s still a mystery how the boot opened to enable Suki to fall out.

Sandra said: “We don’t know how on earth the boot managed to open, we certainly didn’t notice it either. We took the car to the garage to be checked, but they couldn’t find anything wrong.”