I Hit a Dog Last Night- RANT.

[aubreynoramarie]

So the past few days we've been pounded with snow- probobly collectively around three feet, but between it melting and such we have around 9 inches right now.

so last night Markie and i were driving about, talking, going slow because of all the ice, when all of a sudden there was a yellow blur and a *thud*. I had noticed about a second prior that there was a man on the side of the road walking his pitbul on leash down the sidewalk. I slammed on my brakes which caused me to slide about six feet and i sat there for a second shaking. I told Markie to go check it out because I did not want to see. I immediately started fighting back tears. I watched Markie run down an ally and then he called for me. I left the car running, lights on, all crooked in the middle of the road...

so there was the dog, standing next to this guy who had been walking him off leash on the sidewalk of one of the most busy streets in town.

I guess the yellow dog saw the pitbul and bolted across the street at him from the ally which is why i didnt see it coming. The dog was completely fine, he was walking alright and wagging his tail, but still i offered the owner to drive them to the e-vets. "NO NO, hes fine. sorry bout that."

sorry bout that??

i dont mind people walking their dogs offleash, but on a busy street in the middle of a snowstorm during icy conditions?

Im really glad the poochie is okay, but im a little angry because if anything had happened to that dog i would have felt SO AWFUL. I dont think there would have been any sleep in my future for at least a month- all because this guy did not have control of his dog.

PLease please please people! be in a safe area if youre going to have your dog offleash, you never ever know when he is going to bolt!

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

I am glad that YOU and Markie are ok.

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Quote:
aw, thanks genny...Markie was better off than i was, lol. i was mad and sad and i didnt want to drive ANYMORE! lol

 

[equine623]

Can I add to your rant for one quick second? Please please please do not let your kids walk a dog anywhere near any streets. I had the horrifying experience of watching a dog and child get hit by a car, because the dog yanked her into the street trying to get to another dog. I don't care how well you think your dog is trained, its not worth risking the safety of a child. The parents said "oh she always walks him, we can't believe that happened" the guy driving the car was a wreck and it was absolutely not his fault, the dog ran out into the street when the car was less than 10 feet away. Luckily the car was slowing for the stop light when it happened and nobody died, but the dog had a visibly broken leg and the girl was loaded into an ambulance for a trip to the ER to be checked out.

OK sorry, hijack over

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Quote:

well said. I cant imagine having to witness that. I would have been absolutely out of my mind with sadness.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Been there. Done that. The owner, who had an unleashed dog by the street, was mad at me for hitting his dog when it shot out of nowhere from between parked cars. Absolutely nothing I could do. It was a residential area and I was not going fast at all.

To me, the responsible party is the owner who failed to take care of his dog. It is not you. Glad you are OK, but yes, it is upsetting.

 

[Ema]

Quote:
I am glad you guys are ok.

my one neighbour to the right of me doesn't leash up his dog EVER....he has no fence or anything and he just lets his dog roam about. I was forced to put up 8 foot steel fencing around my dog pen to keep my dogs in and his out. He comes over my place on a nightly basis and defecates and pees every where. the worst part is this dog, a German Shepperd chases cars and people. There have been numerous complaints placed on this dog and his owner and yet nothing has happened.
Last year I almost ended up in the ditch which is deep, about 15 to 20 feet deep because the dog jumped out in front of my van trying to bite my tires. I laid on the horn once my car stopped skidding out of control and the owner just opened the door called the dog in and that was it. Not even 2 days later he jumped out in front of the school bus and chased it all the way down the street to my house, where the driver couldn't even allow my daughter to get out of the bus cause the dog was jumping at the doors snarling and scratching. The bus driver placed a complaint with the town, and nothing happened. This winter the mail carriers car slid into the ditch after trying to avoid this darn dog, the town got a complaint he got a fine of 30 dollars, that is it....This dog dug up my gardens last summer, and my other neighbours garden and vegetable patch. Everyone down this road had had about enough of this and now, sadly most people don't even slow down when they near his house. My others neighbours told him that if they catch this dog on their property again they will shoot him. I still slow down when I near his house not only because mine is 2 acres away but because I have kids in the car and I do nto need to be hitting this dog and putting my kids in danger too. Last night Dh took a taxi home because of the severe winter storm we had I didn't feel it was safe to put my kids in the car to go back into town to go get him. it was 330 am when Dh got home and guess what the dog was out and he jumped out in front of the taxi. When the driver stopped the dog jumped up at the door and scratched the paint on the brand new Van they recently purchased. The neighbour is now in trouble, and will have to pay for the damage done. And at the risk of making enemies we are telling the town council that if they do nothing about this dog we are going to sue them for negligence. If I allowed my dogs to roam, I know I would have been in trouble long before this. I just do not understand why some people do not leash up their dogs or even bother caring where they dogs are roaming off too.

By the way this same neighbour had a male cat, not fixed, he used to allow to roam everywhere as well, for 3 years this cat peed on everything around my house, and it stunk especially during summer. After many complaints, the cat went missing, he claims the cat never came back home one day....which is a bonus to us, but he obviously didn't care that the cat became lunch for some bobcat or bear or what ever might have caught it.

 

[kla37]

On icy roads YOU could have been hurt! It's dangerous to stop quickly on ice!

 

[noodleroo]

I'm glad y'all are ok, too. It could easily have gone much worse if there had been a car behind you or one comming at you. I know how awful it feels to hit a dog, and it could happen (probably already has) to everybody. I would never walk my dog near a road off leash...

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Quote:
I am glad you guys are ok.

my one neighbour to the right of me doesn't leash up his dog EVER....he has no fence or anything and he just lets his dog roam about. I was forced to put up 8 foot steel fencing around my dog pen to keep my dogs in and his out. He comes over my place on a nightly basis and defecates and pees every where. the worst part is this dog, a German Shepperd chases cars and people. There have been numerous complaints placed on this dog and his owner and yet nothing has happened.
Last year I almost ended up in the ditch which is deep, about 15 to 20 feet deep because the dog jumped out in front of my van trying to bite my tires. I laid on the horn once my car stopped skidding out of control and the owner just opened the door called the dog in and that was it. Not even 2 days later he jumped out in front of the school bus and chased it all the way down the street to my house, where the driver couldn't even allow my daughter to get out of the bus cause the dog was jumping at the doors snarling and scratching. The bus driver placed a complaint with the town, and nothing happened. This winter the mail carriers car slid into the ditch after trying to avoid this darn dog, the town got a complaint he got a fine of 30 dollars, that is it....This dog dug up my gardens last summer, and my other neighbours garden and vegetable patch. Everyone down this road had had about enough of this and now, sadly most people don't even slow down when they near his house. My others neighbours told him that if they catch this dog on their property again they will shoot him. I still slow down when I near his house not only because mine is 2 acres away but because I have kids in the car and I do nto need to be hitting this dog and putting my kids in danger too. Last night Dh took a taxi home because of the severe winter storm we had I didn't feel it was safe to put my kids in the car to go back into town to go get him. it was 330 am when Dh got home and guess what the dog was out and he jumped out in front of the taxi. When the driver stopped the dog jumped up at the door and scratched the paint on the brand new Van they recently purchased. The neighbour is now in trouble, and will have to pay for the damage done. And at the risk of making enemies we are telling the town council that if they do nothing about this dog we are going to sue them for negligence. If I allowed my dogs to roam, I know I would have been in trouble long before this. I just do not understand why some people do not leash up their dogs or even bother caring where they dogs are roaming off too.

By the way this same neighbour had a male cat, not fixed, he used to allow to roam everywhere as well, for 3 years this cat peed on everything around my house, and it stunk especially during summer. After many complaints, the cat went missing, he claims the cat never came back home one day....which is a bonus to us, but he obviously didn't care that the cat became lunch for some bobcat or bear or what ever might have caught it.

the very sad part is that its not the dog's fault, its the crappy owner's fault. never taught that dog manners! now everyone in the town hates the dog and the dogs probobly going to die because of a stupid owner. people make me so mad.

sorry you guys have to deal with that. That would frustrate me to no end!