posted on May 11, 2001 09:10:38 AM new
I never start a thread here, but sh*t
Why do people hit dogs or cats and don't stop?
I live on a very quiet street, I let my dog out and she was always fine on our street.
She barked to let me know she's at the door.
She hated being enclosed, she would NEVER go in the backyard, strange dog maybe, but she would not cross the threshold to that backyard.
Some idiot hit her last night, I hadn't heard her bark for awhile, and there she was laying in the road. I KNOW her heart was beating, so rushed her to the 24 hr vet 20 minutes away. She didn't make it.
I had her 15 years, someone dropped her off, when I had our farm. I never wanted her at the time, never liked small dogs.... but yeah she grew on me. sh*t
YOU know when you've hit a dog or cat, unless your in a semi truck. Damn, why do people do this? Course what do they do if they stop. this just so sucks.
posted on May 11, 2001 09:21:29 AM new"Course what do they do if they stop"
They can stop, look for a license, look for the home, at least offer their reason. Is what they do if they stop. Tell anyone they find because it'll get to the owner.
Sorry to hear that, shelly. Dogs are better than people.
posted on May 11, 2001 09:34:48 AM new
The same reason why there's hit & runs....irresponsible cowards. Something I really believe in NearThe Sea, is that person will have the same thing happen to them but it'll be worse. They'll lose a loved one, or a pet at the worst possible time for them. The phrase "what comes around, goes around" should be a law of physics, because it never fails.
I'm so sorry about your loss. I LOVE animals and know how sad you must be feeling. These people are creeps...actually worse than creeps. Again, I'm so sorry.
posted on May 11, 2001 09:54:41 AM new
"Dogs are better than people"
I would not stop because I have seen people who regard their animal as a person or more valued than a person and I would not be surprised to be assaulted for trying to be decent and stop.
If the dog is in the middle of the street the OWNER is in the wrong - period. The animal does not have the sense to understand traffic no matter how bright you think it is or if it eats breakfast at the table with you it is the owners job to protect it.
I lived across from people in Ohio who kept a vicious dog. They also valued it above other people. It went in the next yard and attacked a man and tore him up bad. The court awarded a mony award and ordered them to keep it on a chain. They would NOT keep it on a chain.
The next year a mother was walking her little girl past and it ran out and attacked them. The little girl had to have extensive reconstructive surgery. Their insurance would not pay because they ignored the court order to chain it. They had to refinance their paid off house to pay $250,000 to the second victims.
One night I came home late from work amd my wife was sitting in the car in our drive and could not get out because this dog was sitting outside waiting for her. I got out of my truck with a .45 automatic and as soon as I lifted my arm the big black pit bull ran. He knew the gesture. I shot 3 times trying to shoot a black running dog in the dark and missed. He ran to the front door across the street and as he was running up the front steps he was silouetted against the white concrete and I emptied the rest of the clip at about 80 yards. The cast shell concrete steps blew completely apart and the last thre e rounds went through the bottom of the front door. The dog jumped off the porch and ran around back. The dogs owner came running out the front and fell because there were no steps anymore. He came across the street yelling and screaming and arrived in my yard just as my landlord came out with a shotgun.
I'm standing with my slide locked back 'cause it was empty and the land lord said "Did you get the son of a b----h? This did not improve his mood. He went all on about how I was goiing to jail and I said fine they won't take long to book me they already have my prints. "And you know what happens then?" I asked - NO he said what? I post bond and come back here. And I put a new clip in and thumbed the slide home to chamber a new round. He thought about it a bit and went home. The next day my landlord who was a lawyer took his big pontiac and ran the dog over where it was chained up in their yard.
[ edited by gravid on May 11, 2001 09:59 AM ]
posted on May 11, 2001 10:18:23 AM new
Sorry to see anyone lose a pet, I know that has to hurt.
I would caution anyone that has hit an animal with their car to be very careful. Even a docile dog when hurt can react violently when handled if they have been injured.
You are truly fortunate on several accounts in regards to the story above.
Suppose you killed someone with your bullets thru the door. When lead is flying my way, I harbor the believe, I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6, so your are lucky that you didn't draw return fire!
posted on May 11, 2001 10:49:31 AM new
moral of the story is: if you don't want your dog hit by a car or anything else KEEP IT ON A LEASH. It is an animal; not a person who can look both ways. (and yes, if I ever hit a dog, I would stop and do my best to find the owner) Hmmmmm...did I stop when I hit a skunk?? NOPE
posted on May 11, 2001 10:55:22 AM new
Im so sorry Shell. I have never hit an animal yet, but have seen plenty of people who did and left it there to die. Crossing thru Arizona once, there was a horse lying on the side of the road and people just kept toodling by, and there it lay, weakly raising its head up, but couldnt stand. I stayed with that horse, with its head in my lap and part of its body covered with my coat, for 4 hours, waiting for someone to come put it out of its misery or to help it. Someone. Anyone. Finally, someone did. I dont even like to think about it and its been over 15 years ago. But I like to think my presence soothed it. Saw a man run over a cat a few months ago (I was behind him), and the cat was jumping around in the street, knocked silly, but capable of running like the wind when I tried to approach it. I tried to chase down the man in the car too, but when he saw me roaring up behind him, he hauled ass. I think he knew I was gonna beat the #*!@ outta him if I caught him.
People who do that make me sick. To hit, and not stop. Sick.
posted on May 11, 2001 10:57:37 AM new
NearTheSea, I'm so sorry for your loss.
I'm not sure that cowardice is an excuse. One can always use a cell phone or go to a pay phone to call Animal Control or their local police to let them know what has happenend. How crummy to just run away and move on. Can that Moron sleep at night?
sheesh. Can't handle it when you make a mistake? So some maturing needs to be done. The unmitigated gall to hurt an animal and not at least let someone else try to help. grrrr. IMHO, inexcuseable.
My apologies, ByTheSea, I'm not sure that my anger is helping you!
BTW, also JMHO, most dogs are better than most people.
It is distressing how some of the human race behave. The loss of a friend, albeit a pet or not, is hard to deal with.
There is evidence that supports the idea that dogs are better than people! When their useful time here on earth is over you can take your dog to vet and have it's misery ended. Yet society struggles with that concept when it pertains to people
posted on May 11, 2001 11:26:05 AM new
Please, let me apologize. I truly am sorry for your loss and did not mean to be so harsh. I have held my cat and my dog in my arms while being put down by the vet. As I said in my post, absolutely I would stop if I hit a dog or a cat and it is awful when someone does not. I guess I am coming from someone who has lost and child and when ppl. say dogs are better than people, it just hit a nerve. I do apologize to all. Janet
posted on May 11, 2001 11:32:59 AM new
anyone whose dog OR cat is hit by a car is totally responsible even if the car was speeding since speeding cars are a reality. i have had both dogs and cats and now have a dog. i never let any of them out of the house except on a leash which is the law in most municipalities. not stopping is an act of cowardice. shooting in the direction of someone's home is utter stupidity. running over a chained animal is one of the sickest things i have ever heard. both the shooter and the murderer should be locked up. there are other ways of dealing with these situations.
posted on May 11, 2001 12:02:13 PM new
Around here, a lot of stupid pet owners rely on the so-called "invisible fence" to keep their dogs corralled. Invisible fence must be the biggest farce going. Can't tell you how many times I've seen a dog darting through traffic on a busy highway with one of those big electronic gizmos attached to its collar. Even more stupid, the owners go to all the trouble of putting that big cumbersome thing on the collar but usually don't bother with a little ID tag with their name and phone number.
As for "why don't people stop," I think a few people above were correct when they said there's a fear of confrontation with the owner. My brother came home one night when he was a teenager and told me he hit a dog down the street. He had been speeding but the dog had been laying down in the middle of the street. We found out from neighbors afterward that the dog had a habit of sleeping in the road -- this was a quiet neighborhood with little traffic at night. I asked my brother if he stopped and he said no. So I put on my coat and made him drive us back to the scene. The dog was still breathing, but barely. We knocked on a door, found someone who knew the dog's owner. The owner showed up all freaked out, started yelling at my brother. People came outside in their bathrobes, etc., glaring. There he is, their eyes said, There's the dog-killer. What can you do when faced with such a scene? Shout back "Well you shouldn't have let him out unleashed?" or "The damn dog was asleep in the road!" No matter what you say, you look bad.
The best solution, I think, is to stop and call the police. Let the police find the owner and notify him or her. At least then you've done the decent thing and you possibly avoid confrontational ugliness with a grief-stricken pet owner.
Either that or, if possible, load the dog into the car and rush him to a vet.
NearTheSea, I'm very sorry for your loss. My own dog was killed by a car when I was eight (back in the days whjen rural areas didn't have leash laws). Nothing before or since has ever hurt me so bad. The driver told me how it happened but wasn't at all sympathetic or apologetic, which was sort of a double kick in the teeth because the driver was my father.
posted on May 11, 2001 12:07:14 PM new
oh, Spaz, how awful for you! I actually felt that one in my heart. I'm so sorry, no matter how many years ago it was!
{{{spaz}}}
Indeed, for many pet owners, a pet can take on human characteristics and the loss of one is as deeply felt as losing a family member or friend.
We live in the country and live with the knowledge that our mostly house-cats, when outside, are vulnerable.
The few animals I have hit have been far from human habitation (agricultural area) and have had no identifying marks. All I could do is pull them to the side of the road (I drive a large truck so they're very dead when I hit them, if they haven't been lucky enough to go right underneath)
I would implore pet owners, especially those in rural areas, to mark or collar your pets in a manner where they (and you) can be identified in case of accident....
As Gravid noted in his post about the vicious dog, many folks in rural areas routinely shoot stray/wild animals as they can be a threat to foul and bovine stocks as well as humans. When I'm looking through a scope and see a collar or ID tags, I know for sure the animal was, at some point, a pet and invariably will slide the safety back in and try to deal with the animal another way.
BTW Gravid, you live a very interesting neighborhood....
Are you still doing machine work or have you taken up gunsmithing? *G*
posted on May 11, 2001 01:09:17 PM new
I'm sorry to hear you lost your pet this way. But, there are always two sides to a story.
I hit (actually bumped) a rather large dog on a dark street one night. I was with my son who was about 8 at the time. This dog wasn't run over, and he turned and ran up a bank and into a line of bushes. There was no way I could follow it, or find out who owned it.
The owners should have kept it leashed. If I were to run over a dog now, and realize it, and know the dog was injured, I would probably use my cell phone and call the local police. I would not approach a hurt dog, or go knocking on stranger's doors, nor would I expect my kids or husband to either. It's just not safe.
BTW, my third oldest son was bitten twice in the span of 3 months by 2 different dogs that were not being controlled by their owners. He was 14 at the time, delivering newspapers. The authorities did nothing, they even released the first dog back to his owners even though they admitted their dog had not had rabies shots.
posted on May 11, 2001 01:17:12 PM new
If an animal is hit by a car, it is the animal owners fault and no one elses.
The owner knew the dangers when he loosed his dog outdoors. If you don't want your pet hit by a car, take care of your pet, which includes not letting them run loose outdoors.
If you must let them run loose outdoors, accept the responsibility and your loss as your own doing.
Who would we blame if a 3 year old child was wandering on the highway and was struck by a car ?
Just as with a young child, when you let your pet run loose outdoors, you are expecting the world to take responsibilty for what is actually your responsibilty.
I am sorry for your loss. When on the farm, I had several dogs that roamed free, wouldn't have a dog any other way, but we had over 300 acres to accomodate them. We also understood that if our dogs harmed livestock on someone elses farm, the dog was subject to being shot on sight. I had one dog that I ran over with a grain truck and had to put him down myself. It wasn't easy. However, it is a trade off for letting them roam free.
Now living in town I do not harbor dogs. The responsibility is great to have a dog in town, and I lack the time and patience to properly take care of a dog. But don't blame the driver when your pet is running loose. While he/she has no obligation to stop, you certainly have an obligation to take care of your pet, which includes keeping them out of the roadway.
posted on May 11, 2001 01:44:48 PM new
Well, it was a small dog correct? It was night? It is possible that the person who hit the dog didn't realize it. I don't know about where you live, but here in Ohio, we have terrible potholes from the winter. There are many places where the holes have been "turned into bumps" with patching. Unless the dog was actually run over, someone might not notice striking a small dog, especially if they didn't see it in the dark. Seriously, there are roads in my area that are so bad, you could strike a small dog or cat, or squirrel, and not realize it if you didn't see it run in front of you.
As far as comparing it to a child...there is no comparison. It is unfortunate that this pet was killed, but a dog is not a child. I am a pet owner, and I love my pets, but they are not people.
posted on May 11, 2001 01:47:47 PM new
Have you ever tried to "help" an injured animal? It is very dangerous. When I tried to approach a dog that I ran over he bit my arm and tore my shirt right off - and it was my own dog.
My advice is if you hit a dog and feel obligated to do something, call animal control or let the police check it out.
You have no idea which house the dog belongs to, and there is nothing you can do to actually help the animal. You run the risk that the dog will attack you, and the dog may not even have an owner, and can even be rabid. In the mean time, you're in the street putting yourself at risk.
There is also another vein to this problem. Many pet owners when their pet has caused damage to a vehicle when the pet is hit claim the animal isn't even theirs. This is common when a motorcycle hits a dog and there is property damage and human injury. THEN when someone stops to inform the owner he says "It's not my dog", or the dog somehow escaped from the house/fenced backyard, when in fact they let the dog out. When I was in high school a girl swerved to miss a dog and hit another car head on which killed her instantly. THE OWNER OF THE DOG DIDN'T GO TO THE ACCIDENT SCENE OR THE FUNEREAL. My advice to my children with newly minted driver's licenses is never swerve to avoid an animal unless it is an elephant. You could easily be trading your life or another drivers life due to an irresponsible pet owner. Send the dog to heaven, not yourself.
Those that advise taking a strange dog to a vet, you will be asked to guarantee payment on the spot or nothing will be done for the animal.
If you don't want your dog injured and no one stopping, exercise your responsibility over your dog.
Meya- Caring for a pet is almost as demanding as taking care of a child, especially if you let them outdoors. For those of you who think it is your "right" to allow your pet to be unrestrained out doors, being run over by a car and no one stopping is a common result and the pet owners responsibility.
