"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
07/05/2017 at 23:18 • Filed to: None
2
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"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
07/05/2017 at 23:18 • Filed to: None | 2
| 11 |
Last night, my wife struck and killed a small dog that was running in the street, most likely spooked by all the fireworks in the area. She stopped and collected the dog in hopes that we might be able to contact the owner. It had a collar but no tag. This morning, since we hadn’t been able to track them down through our neighborhood news group, I took the dog to the local shelter so they could check for a chip, which it didn’t have, and I left the dog there. Tonight, we found out the owner’s name and number and made the call. They weren’t home, so rather than leave the bad news on the voicemail we left our number.
My wife is really devastated. But the accident was totally unavoidable. The streetlights in the neighborhood had been turned off for the official fireworks, and she never saw the dog until it was right in front of the car. The dog was also running towards her in the middle of the street. There was simply no time to stop. I’m not looking forward to the return call, but it’s the only thing to do. These folks deserve to know what happened, but I’m sad that they probably won’t be able to bury their dog if that was their wish. But we certainly weren’t going to leave it in the road, and I couldn’t keep it indefinitely.
Folks, get your dogs a tag and/or a chip.
Honeybunchesofgoats
> ttyymmnn
07/05/2017 at 23:21 |
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This is unfortunate Kinja synergy.
Also, I’m sorry your wife had to go through that. From experience, there’s nothing you can do but stay straight and brake. Anything else can only end up worse.
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ttyymmnn
> Honeybunchesofgoats
07/05/2017 at 23:23 |
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She didn’t even have time to swerve had she wanted to. That thing was in front of her in an instant. The road is 40, but she wasn’t going that fast. It’s just a very sad thing all around.
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Honeybunchesofgoats
> ttyymmnn
07/05/2017 at 23:24 |
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:/
For what it’s worth, swerving never works anyway. In my experience, you’re more likely to hit an animal when you swerve.
Chariotoflove
> ttyymmnn
07/05/2017 at 23:30 |
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I’m so sorry.
Our Scooby is chipped.
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ttyymmnn
> Chariotoflove
07/05/2017 at 23:32 |
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I just wish we could have contacted them last night. It would have made it all much easier. Hopefully they will at least get a bit of closure, even if it isn’t good news.
cluelessk
> ttyymmnn
07/05/2017 at 23:38 |
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It’s a bummer but the only people to blame are the owners.
It would of never been in the street if they paid the proper amount of attention.
You have already gone above and beyond what most people would have done.
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Chariotoflove
> ttyymmnn
07/05/2017 at 23:42 |
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Growing up in the kind of country, we dealt with this a lot. The flip side was collecting live dogs that we would get attached to and sometimes have to return. I’m grateful for owners who properly tag or chip their animals so everyone can have quick resolution.
Caspian Kilkelly
> ttyymmnn
07/05/2017 at 23:54 |
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I had something similar happen to my cat a few years ago. One of the things that hit me while I was trying to find her body was that it was far better to know that she was actually dead than hoping she was just “lost” and would come back some time- at least there’s closure there, rather than eternal and awkward hope.
Even if you never get that call, you’ve done something more than most people would.
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ttyymmnn
> Caspian Kilkelly
07/06/2017 at 00:02 |
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Thanks. It’s a lesson for my boys as well. Some things can be extremely uncomfortable, but you still have to do the right thing.
CRider
> cluelessk
07/06/2017 at 02:12 |
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Don’t underestimate the ability of a small dog to escape its yard. My Jack Russel could escape from Alcatraz if he put his mind to it.
Roundbadge
> ttyymmnn
07/06/2017 at 08:25 |
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This bugs me.
At one point, my gf had looked on our county’s website regarding dog licenses, and found a list of all the registered dogs in town. On our street, ours was one of two dogs registered and tagged. Our street has 31 houses on it, and at least 12 of them have dogs. I get not wanting to pay the taxes (all of $20...come on!), but at least the license gives some method of figuring out the owner should the dog escape.