A DEVOTED dog owner has urged the driver who accidentally ran over her puppy to not blame himself.

Mary Davies, 64, who lives in Holland-on-Sea, and her husband Ron, 66, were taking their eight-month-old Cavachon dog Benji for a walk earlier this year in New Pier Street in Walton.

Shortly into their walk, however, the pooch’s extendable lead suddenly unlocked as he excitedly tried to pull his owners across the road.

Benji then darted into the street before being hit by oncoming traffic.

As a result of the impact, Benji suffered two breaks to his pelvis.

He fortunately survived his horrific injuries following stints at Colchester’s emergency vet and Dick White’s Veterinary Hospital.

Mrs Davies said: “Our instant reaction to the accident was horror because we thought we had lost our puppy. We lost our previous dog, a border terrier named Bonnie, last September and we were so upset because our house felt so empty.

“Benji is loved so much by everyone especially our eight-year-old granddaughters.”

However, two months on from the potentially fatal accident, Benji has responded positively to treatment and Mrs Davies said he is showing consistent signs of making a full recovery.

She added he is not expected to sustain any lasting effects from his injuries.

But Mrs and Mr Davies are now worried that the driver of the vehicle which hit Benji might still be reeling with guilt.

The pup-loving partners now want to send a message to the driver to assure him that, despite the initial trauma, there was a happy ending.

They added he was never at fault for the accident.

Mrs Davies said: “We were far too shocked to get any details from the driver but he took us straight to our car with Benji so we could then rush him to the emergency vet.

“The driver of the car was distraught and he was so upset.

“I want him to have peace of mind and know that Benji survived.

“It was not his fault at all and he wasn’t to blame.

“It was just a freak accident.”

“I want him to have peace of mind and know that Benji survived.

“It was not his fault at all and he wasn’t to blame – it was just a freak accident.”