hit a dog

[pike slayer]

I was driving home from work this evening and on the left hand side of the road i see someone walking their 2 dogs and they are going nuts so i slow down cause im not sure if they are leashed or not. and then BANG! i hit something hard! i look in my mirror and i see a big brown furry thing on the road. i pull over and put on the hazards and this older lady comes running out from the house on the right side of the road. i unfortantly hit her dog and shes freaking out. i felt soooo bad and i just saying sorry to her. i helped her carry the dog to the house. and shes all upset and calling the vet and clearly the dog past away. thankfully i knew her neighbour and they seen what happen and came over to settle the lady down a bit. and the neighbour i knew helped me carry the dog and put it in the truck to bring to the vet. then i went to the negihbours to clean up. i feel really bad for hitting this dog especially for having 2 dogs of my own. I want to do something for the lady like bring her flowers or something. How long should i wait for i go over there and what should i do? write a letter or something?

[ChrisK]

I think you have done everything you could possibly do. We had one of our cats returned to us in a box with a very sorry lady apologizing at the front door. I thanked her for returning him to us and told her to go home and try to relax. Not a whole lot more she could of done and I figure most people would of kept on going so her efforts where most appreciated.

 

You've done everything you could for the lady and her dog....

[NAW]

jeez man.. i feel really bad for you. that's one crappy evening. the fact that you stuck around and did what you did to help this lady out, kudos to you. a lot of people might have just drove off.

 

I can't comment on what you should do, or the timing. what ever feels right.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

just in stopping you did more than many.

i wouldn't stop by right away. let them grieve. if you want to bring flowers wait a week.

sorry to hear buddy.

[ecmilley]

well i would feel bad and it's not your fault, just remember any damage done to your vehicle by her neglect of not tying the dog should be her responsibility to cover

[Handlebarz]

Dang that's sucks like others have said you did alot by stopping there is much more you could do for her.

[Terry]

you have done more then enough for her

I think if you do more for her, you will really be doing it for your own peace of mind not hers

it was not your fault

you feel bad about the dog...time to move on

 

oh and check your vehicle for damage, she will be responsible for damage, not you....

[mike rousseau]

Her fault for not tying the dog up.... Not yours...

 

It's her fault you feel guilty now...

 

I'd say your the victim here (and the dog)... Try to move on and forget about it...

[Sinker]

I hit a dog one time too, so I know just how bad you feel. Not a thing you can do about it though. You did the right thing by stopping, and doing what you could to stop. Most people would have kept on trucking!

 

The dog I hit was out in the front yard playing with the kids. They threw the ball, it took a bad bounce, and ended up on the road, with the dog in hot pursuit. The dog actually ran into the side of my car, and got caught up in the rear wheel. I felt horrible that the kids had to witness that.

 

Ever since, I'm always on guard when dogs are near the road!

 

Don't beat yourself up. These things happen, and there is nothing you can do about it. Just stopping was more than most would do. You should feel good about that!

 

S.

[pike slayer]

thanks for the replies guys. I was driving my work van and it sits up high and it only put a dent in the steel bumper. I'm not going to worry about the dent to much, its not bad enough that work will want to pay to fix it.

[Oggie]

You showed alot of class stopping. I think you've done all you can do. She likely blames herself and she needs time to deal with the guilt. I'd stay away for a couple of weeks and then stop by for a short how-are-you-doing visit.

Dan O.

[BCLT]

Her fault for not tying the dog up.... Not yours...

 

It's her fault you feel guilty now...

 

I'd say your the victim here (and the dog)... Try to move on and forget about it...

 

 

 

Exactly! This is the result of poor handling - you did nothing wrong, feel bad for the dog, not the owner

[BITEME]

To be honest I dont really have a feeling either way for hitting an animal as long as I walk away. I do have a soft spot for dogs and I have hit a couple. I was in the same situation as you and I was more pi$$ed at the lady for alowing her dog to get in the situation. As for the flowers its over move on.

 

Just me

[fisher]

To be honest I dont really have a feeling either way for hitting an animal as long as I walk away.

 

This rings so true....and something we should all remember when presented with any situation that may put us at risk.

 

I remember an accident about 8 years ago on the 427 southbound near the airport where cars started stopping for a family of geese walking across the highway. Well, one car gets smacked real hard from behind and the daughter in the back seat ends up dying.

 

Given that these Geese will be laying soon and having young ones, their impeding traffic will be more common in the next few months. Just something to think about if presented with a similar scenario...

Edited April 2, 2012 by fisher