Dog (not mine) hit by car...could have been avoided!

1572 Views 19 Replies 18 Participants Last post by selzer, Nov 25, 2010

Honeybee1999

Discussion Starter · Nov 22, 2010

I really don't understand some people. My neighbors dogs have been escaping their yard since they moved in. Normally the dogs wait until their humans are not home to play Houdini. They dig, go under the fence, and roam the surrounding fields.The neighbors even tried invisible fence lines under the real fence to no avail. They have asked me for advice on how to keep them in. I suggested keeping them indoors when not supervised. They didn't want to do that. I then suggested a chainlink kennel on their concrete patio with a roof. They thought that was a great idea. Apparently it was so great they promptly forgot about it. Meanwhile the dogs keep escaping on a nearly daily basis. They've had several close calls with animal control picking them up (would have been best-case-scenario for them if they had actually caught them...maybe an impound fee or two would have motivated them more to solve the problem).

Anyway, today I'm sitting in my living room and suddenly hear a bunch of honking. I get up and look out my window and see an SUV pulled over on the side of the road, lady getting out of her car, and a familiar black dog dragging his rear end away from the lady and into the pasture in front of his house. I know exactly what happened. The other dog is running around him looking very worried. I'm home alone with my two young boys who are sleeping, so I can't go out to help the dog. I do the only thing I can...call my neighbor to give her the bad news. The lady in the SUV, unable to get to the dog who is now through the fence, gets in her car and drives away.

Neighbor is home within minutes. Again she asks me how to keep them from escaping. First, I tell her the name and location of the nearest emergency vet. Then I again suggest keeping the dogs indoors. She tells me she has been keeping them indoors but only left for five minutes, etc. There's not much else I can tell her other than, I'm so sorry this happened. Because I am. I didn't want to see those innocent dogs hurt because their owners didn't want to be inconvenienced by having them inside. Such a sad, totally avoidable tragedy. I really hope the dog lives.

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Heagler870

· #2 · Nov 22, 2010

Wow, some people just don't care. It seems like they don't care otherwise they would have fixed the problem. I hope the dog lives too. Man, I think I would die if a car hit my dog.

Deuce

· #3 · Nov 22, 2010

It really makes you wonder why people have pets if they're going to treat them that way, doesn't it? I hope the dog is OK.

chicagojosh

· #4 · Nov 22, 2010

poor dog. prayers for the neighers dog indeed.

will_and_jamie

· #5 · Nov 22, 2010

That's terrible. My heart sinks when I see any animal ran over. I've never hit any animal myself or seen anyone hit something either, but if I did, I'd probably have a huge emotional breakdown. I hope the dog ends up being OK. Poor thing. The dog's owners clearly need to be more responsible.

Deuce

· #6 · Nov 22, 2010

will_and_jamie said:
That's terrible. My heart sinks when I see any animal ran over. I've never hit any animal myself or seen anyone hit something either, but if I did, I'd probably have a huge emotional breakdown. I hope the dog ends up being OK. Poor thing. The dog's owners clearly need to be more responsible.

Same here and I agree.

DCluver33

· #7 · Nov 23, 2010

oh wow I hope the dog is ok and the lady keeps them in the house or in a sturdy kennel. I have hit a dog once

I cried for hours the dog ended up dying

AbbyK9

· #8 · Nov 23, 2010

It has been my experience that the majority of cases of "dog hit by car" could have been avoided were owners just a little more responsible, used better judgment, and possessed a smidgen of common sense.

A lot of dogs are hit because their owners just open the door to let them outside to potty - and then the dog takes off after a squirrel, or another dog, or runs across the street to say "hi" to the neighbors. A lot of dogs are hit because they are not secured in any way and either open or jump fencing and gates. And a lot of dogs are hit because their owners feel Fluffy needs to roam the property to get exercise - never mind that the property has no fences and is half a mile from a busy highway.

If you see idiot neighbor's dogs loose again, catch them and take them to the shelter or call animal control to pick them up. Might be the best thing to happen to those dogs.

BlackPuppy

· #9 · Nov 23, 2010

Poor dog.

Those chain link kennels don't cost that much. Probably less than the dog and certainly less than the e-vet bill.

AbbyK9 said:
- and then the dog takes off after a squirrel, or another dog, or runs across the street to say "hi" to the neighbors.

When Balto was a little puppy he got out the front door when I answered the doorbell. He had to run across the street and there was a car. I swear it hit him, but he was fine. I don't answer the doorbell anymore.

selzer

· #10 · Nov 23, 2010

The chain link kennels don't cost that much, but they don't keep a digging or climbing dog in either. If you want to keep a dog safely outside, you have to have a reasonable kennel, strong enough so they cannot break through, something solid like concrete or concrete blocks so they cannot dig under, covered over, and for good measure fenced around.

And it is NOT cheap. It is much cheaper to keep the dog crated in the house.

Sometimes it is ignorance. Sometimes it is unwillingness to spend the money. And most difficult than the others to stomach, are those people who think they are being kind to the dog to let them run free, or not keep them contained.

KZoppa

· #11 · Nov 23, 2010

i was pregnant with my daughter when a guy in front of me hit a 5 month old puppy. The puppy had been rehomed that day and panicked and ran out the front door the second someone opened it. He died instantly. The guy kept driving but i pulled over to check on the dog as the teenagers came running up the street to try and get the dog. he had been a gift from their mom for mothers day... She'd been so happy about that puppy and he was gone almost instantly. I've never hit an animal and i would probably have a nervous breakdown if i did. I even brake for squirrels racing out in front of me. Also personally dont want the ick in my tires either but thats me. I cant believe how people can continually ask for advice on how to keep their dogs contained and then ignore it like that. i hope the dog is okay and the owners learn from this and build a sturdy kennel these dogs can no longer get out of.

Shadow's mum

· #12 · Nov 23, 2010

About 20 years ago I hit an Airedale (spelling?). I had seen it wandering on the side of the road and dodging cars in front of me, thank goodness I had slowed right down. It was peak hour at the time and I had cars tooting me from all directions. I lost sight of the dog, I thought I was clear, but then the dog darted out in front of my car. I stopped immediately right in the middle of the road. The people behind me were yelling at me. Some were saying just run it over. The dog took off after it was hit. I finally found a safe place to park and called the local council. The council dog catcher came out spoke with me, then went looking for the dog. He came back and told me they'd found the dog and were taking it to the E-Vet. He told me this dog was known to them for his wandering ways. He told me that I didn't need to go to the lengths I had gone to. He said the owners would be fined. I was so shaken. I rang the vet every day to check on his progress. He had sustained a broken pelvis, but was going to be fine. They said he was lucky I was going so slow. They asked me if my car was alright and if I was going to place a claim with my car insurance company. I hadn't even thought about my car. My car was fine and thank god the dog was going to be ok. I still think about that moment, it's not something I ever want to go threw again.

Hope the neighbors dog is okay. I hope the neighbor learns their lesson and honors their responsibilities and keeps their dogs safe.

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Chicagocanine

· #13 · Nov 23, 2010

So sad...poor dog!
I caught a stray once who was darting in and out of the street. It was a dark-colored dog (tri-colored, like an Aussie) and it was in the evening so people could easily have not seen him. I ended up taking him home, never did find his owner but after I fostered him for quite a while I finally found a rescue who could take him.

Bianca got out once. I was out of town, but the rest of the family was home. They let Bianca out to potty as usual. A few minutes later someone heard barking at the FRONT door. They opened it and there she was sitting on the front porch! The gate had been open. Luckily, she apparently just went around to the front and waited there. The funny thing is the one time my last dog, Ginger, got loose she did the same thing, went to the front door and barked.
We always keep the gate closed so they hadn't thought to check before letting her out, and the front gate isn't visible from the back door. When I got home and they told me what happened, I immediately ran to the back yard and just as I'd feared-- my bicycle was gone (it had been locked up in the back, the lock chain was cut.) I used to keep both gates locked with padlocks, but the padlocks had started to rust (even though they were listed as waterproof) and were hard to open so I'd removed them a little while before that incident. I hadn't replaced them yet because I was searching for ones that would be REALLY waterproof. Of course as soon as that happened I did...

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Deb

· #14 · Nov 23, 2010

How heartbreaking for the dog. I hope the cost of the emergency vet convinces them that the cost of a good chain run on concrete is a better alternative.

Denali Girl

· #15 · Nov 23, 2010

I'm guessing when she gets the vet bill for that one the dog won't be around much longer. This realllllly [email protected]#$%s me off because this could have been avoided. I am not the best owner in the world I'm sure and some of my training techniques some may not like but my dog is well taken care of, God knows she eats better than me! I think there should be some kind of screening or more screening before some people buy a dog. I can only imagine what this dog is like being in the backyard all day long. You know, sometimes I want to run people over! Ughhhhhhh I'm ok now

VegasResident

· #16 · Nov 23, 2010

we have a security door on the front door outside so I can answer the door without truly opening a path, which is also safer for me. Other than that, no door opens without the "Romeo" being on a leash. he is not ever ever ever left alone out back.

LaRen616

· #17 · Nov 24, 2010

That poor dog

Is he ok?

I have never hit an animal before and I hope I never do. I break for squirrels!

My mom hit a Great Dane puppy when I was little and in the car with her. It didn't make it.

My mom also hit a Golden Retriever a couple of years ago. My mom's backyard backs up to a busy street and the man across the street had 2 male Golden Retrievers and they were always loose. Well my mom was driving and one of the Goldens ran into the road because it saw a man walking across the street and she hit the dog. My mom pulled over and went to the man's house to tell him and he came out and screamed at my mom and called her names and right when he PUSHED my mom, my step dad came flying out of no where and tackled him! It got really ugly but it ended with my step dad picking up the Golden and putting him in the man's truck. The dog ended up dying and the man was furious, for a long time my mom was afraid that he would harm their dog or their cats so everyone was watched like a hawk.

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Stevenzachsmom

· #18 · Nov 24, 2010

Melissa, Any updates on the dog? Poor guy.

Brown314

· #19 · Nov 25, 2010

I hope the dog is ok.

Around 5 years ago, I was on the way to school around 7:30AM and there is a vet right beside a busy street and its right around a corner. The speed limit is 55 M.P.H, and I was doing around the speed limit, and I saw a woman on the side of the street and a nurse running through the front door, then all of a sudden I saw a medium sized black dog running out in front of me, I immedatily slammed on brakes, and downshifted and pulled to the right, I ran smack into the ditch in my 3000gt (which is a sports car). The dog stopped and ran straight towards me, a 18 wheeler was behind me and would have killed the dog I know if the dog didnt walk over to me. My car....well axel bent, FMIC was tore up along with some other crap, and the dog was safe, which I was happy about. The lady ran up to me and apologized over and over again, called a tow truck and paid for all of the repairs and even got me a new paint job for saving their dog.

The lady called me around 6 months ago and told me the dog died of natural causes, and asked me if I wanted to see him before they buried him, if I wasnt in college I would have, I did pay my respects when I went back home.

I really dont see how people can just hit an animal and keep going, I understand sometimes you have no choice, but stop and check on the animal for gods sakes.

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selzer

· #20 · Nov 25, 2010

I am pretty cold about that. I hit a dog once and stopped and called the sherriff to come and shoot it. It was not going to live I could tell. I hit it hard at 55mph, it was the middle of the night.

45 minutes later when the state boys arrived, he found the tag on the collar and called the owner. I did not see tags because I had no light and the tag was screwed to the collar, not dangling.

Anyhow, he did not shoot the dog, the owner came and put it on his farm wagon, and hauled it away. The state boy had called around for open vets, but the farmer said that the dog was too far gone. While I agreed, I had hoped they would kill her instead of driving her away so she could bump along all the way home hurting all that time.

It feels awful, to know you killed someone's dog.

On the other hand, too many people just let their dogs roam around out in the country where I am. Even though there are leash laws. You cannot jeapardize your job by stopping every time you see a loose dog running around in the street. If people are going to let their dogs roam freely, their dogs will get hit, and why should the driver have to be the heavy?

There was a beautiful GSD on my way to work, every day I saw him on the road, hanging around, etc. One day he was lying on the road hit by a car. Oh well. His owners will tell the next breeder how stupid he was for going into the street.

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