Dog owners who spent £300 on vet bills find out lurcher with 'limp' was copying owner

28 May 2021, 14:36

Dog faked a limp after owner breaks his leg

By Alice Dear

The adorable dog was called a 'con-artist' after he convinced his owners there was something wrong with his leg.

A dog owner from Hertfordshire was left surprised after he took his limping lurcher to the vet to find out there was nothing wrong with him.

As it turns out, Russell Jones' beloved dog was just copying his owner, who was on crutches at the time, after breaking his ankle.

Appearing on This Morning earlier this year, Russell and his partner Michelle explained to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield that after watching their dog, Billy, limping around the house, they decided to take him to the vet.

After spending a whopping £300 on vet bills, including X-rays for his leg, the couple were shocked when the experts revealed there was nothing wrong with him.

Russell and Michelle thought there was something wrong with Billy's leg. Picture: ITV

Billy can be seen limping next to his owner, who had broken his ankle. Picture: ITV

The pair said that while Billy walked into the vet without a limp, the 'injury' seemed to return on the way home as he walked next to Russell on crutches.

Already suspicious, their guesses of why Billy was limping were confirmed when Russell went away, and the dog started running around their garden – without a limp.

It turns out Billy was simply copying Russell out of empathy.

Michelle and Russell ended up spending £300 trying to find out what was wrong with their beloved dog. Picture: ITV

The clip of Billy mimicking his owner's injury was posted on a Facebook group recently, and has since been viewed millions of times.

During the chat on This Morning, Phil called Billy the "biggest con artist we've spoken to in some time", while Holly admitted she thought it was very sweet.

Dogs have been known to mimic their owners in the past, whether it's due to an emotional connection or the canine imitating their 'pack leader'.

Michelle added that Billy was a "very caring" dog.