I cannot tell you how sorry I am that you had to go through that. You are so right...people can just disgust me with their lack of compassion and failure to "own up".
When I was 17 my sister and I were out in my car and the guy in front of us starting chucking puppies and their mama out his truck window.
I was swerving trying to avoid hitting any of them. I wrecked my car in the process and only managed to save one of 6 puppies and mama. It was brain damaged but lived a good long 11 years and mama had a broken leg but survived fine. They were party poodles.
We were lucky because we got the license number so the guy was found and did go to jail. His reason...his wife had ticked him off and the puppies and mother belonged to her...he was doing it to get even. Can you imagine? The woman wanted them back and we refused to give them to her and the judge agreed. So we kept them both.
Cruelty is never acceptable and hitting an animal and not stopping to help is cruel in my opinion.
Holly, you're such a sweet and loving person. You really are. I'm happy that you took care of that dog, and stayed with her till the end. I'm soooooooooooo sorry for your turmoil. And I'm glad you have a husband that stood by you and the dog as well. You're very blessed.
However, I hit a dog once. My first instinct was to keep driving because I was scared to death. But I did stop, and my second instinct was to take the dog to the vet (not a thing I thought I would do, I just can't afford to take care of what I consider IMOHO to be other people's messes). But the owner was there, and in my panic I asked if she was okay, and if he needed me to do anything. I'll tell you, afterwards I read him the riot act for not keeping his dog out of the road.
I can't tell you how much it angers me, on behalf of the dog, when someone's dog is in the road, or dead on the road. I really do not understand why people can't keep their animals in. I really love dogs and I hate when they're not looked after.
The next time I saw the guy, I apologized for freaking out on him and asked him how is dog was. He apologized too (cuz we both were yelling)and he thanked me for stopping and for asking if I could help, but he said after I left, he noticed she wasn't right. He was a cop, and was a paramedic. He brought the dog to the vet and found she had a collapsed lung. So she was treated and came home, and is fine now. But every time I go anywhere near his house, I drive real slow just in case
He said this was the first time this dog got away from him. He regretted not watching her close, but our road doesn't have that much traffic, so he figured she'd be okay. She was in a field across the road from his house, and apparently was a bird dog. They weren't hunting, the dog just got away from him and was running back to him and actually hit my car on her way back. The road was a little small road, not like a two laner I don't believe for a second that this was the first time that dog ran across the road to the field to chase birds, but I think it probably was the first time a car came buzzing around the corner when it happened.
But anyway, I don't blame people for not stopping. I know someone who hit a dog and was freaked out and kept going. He figured there was nothing he could do anyway. And I felt the same way, but I guess in the heat of the moment, my love for dogs took over. But I don't judge people who don't stop. It would be nice to stop, especially if the dog can be saved, but I don't blame them for not stopping. It really is a freaky experience to hit a dog. I can still hear the thump on my car. In addition, if they do stop and bring the dog to the vet, they run the risk of incurring a pretty expensive vet bill, which in all fairness isn't their responsibility at all.
If heaven forbid my dog ever got out and was hit by a car, I would be eternally grateful if the person stopped and further, took him the vet. However, I would never expect that person to pay the bill. That would be my responsibilty. I would never lay that burden on a driver. And the sad part is, I'm probably in the minority.
However, I have heard of people trying to hit dogs on purpose and they're just despicable.
This is my opinion, and only my opinion, but I believe it's the dog owners responsibility to keep their dog in. If the dog gets hit, it's the dog owner's responsibility to care for that dog, plus the damage to the car, if there is any. Here the law is that if a dog is out on the road and gets hit, it's not the driver's liability or responsibility. The only time a driver is responsible for hitting a dog, is if the dog is hit on their own property.
I was swerving trying to avoid hitting any of them. I wrecked my car in the process and only managed to save one of 6 puppies and mama. It was brain damaged but lived a good long 11 years and mama had a broken leg but survived fine. They were party poodles.
