Just Sad
We went out to dinner with some friends visiting the area. My mood was light and we had a wonderful time catching up with a couple we had not seen in over 20 years.
We picked them up at the campground they were staying and off we went to one of our favorite eating establishments. The men chatted in the front and the women in the back seat. Isn't that always the way it works?
We talked about our dogs, of course. They have two and are equally enchanted with theirs. It was still early as we drove them back to their camper, so we went the long way in order to see most of Lake Chatuge. We were on one of the busy roads along the lake when tragedy occurred.
Sometimes, when sitting in the back seat, I don't notice much outside, but we were pointing out things of interest. I saw it before HeWho drives did. The speed limit is 45 and traffic was moving along at that pace. I saw the dog on the passenger side of the road heading towards the road.
A medium size black dog ran right into the road. I leaned forward and put my hand on his shoulder, saying, "No, no, no." He slammed on brakes and we skidded along trying to avoid the dog without going into the oncoming traffic. The thud was loud as the front of the truck impacted the poor dog.
Of course we stopped and both of us went to see about the dog. A young girl was screaming, the dog was hers. Two men ran over to where the dog had jumped up and run to the side of the road. The dog was still alive, yet they did not seem inclined to rush it to a vet. The men had obviously been drinking and one of them called my husband a dog murderer. We ignored him and offered to help get the dog to a vet, but they did not respond.
All we could do was apologize to the one man, while the other was taking out his frustration on the traffic, screaming at them to SLOW DOWN. It didn't seem that the cars were speeding, yet he was throwing things. I felt sorry for him, knowing how helpless he felt. Maybe the dog and girl were his. I don't know. An older woman came to the scene with her little dog in her arms and accepted our sincere apologies and we went on.
The rest of the evening was short. The incident hung over all of us. I know it wasn't our fault, if not our truck hitting the poor dog, it would have been someone else. Fences, leashes can prevent such disasters. Our own dogs have gotten away from us from time to time and my heart is in my throat until I manage to corral them back to safety. Seemed like all I could think about yesterday and last night. Just so sad for that girl and the grief she is still feeling.
So sad. There's nothing you can do when they run out like that. Can't swerve and risk killing people in another car, or you and your passengers. You stopped and did the right thing. Those people, despite their grief, were out-of-line. The alcohol was a factor, I imagine. Don't beat yourself up about it. You did what you could.
ReplyDeleteOnly the one guy was a jerk. A woman came out and told him to get himself off the road and stop acting like a fool. Could have been his mother or an aunt. She thanked us for stopping and graciously accepted our apologies. There is usually one jerk in every group.
DeleteVal is right. Dog owners have a responsibility to control their animals, especially near a busy roadway. While this is sad, you really are not responsible for what happened. You did all you could given the situation, as you said, it could have just as easily been the car in front of or behind you.
ReplyDeleteKnowing you are not at fault is good, but if you have compassion for others, you will still feel a little guilt. I suppose we are lucky that there wasn't a car right behind us. It could have been a lot worse.
DeleteThose are irresponsible owners. Drinking lakeside, not taking care of them especially closer to a busy road? I am sorry your day was upset, and now a family is missing their dog too.
ReplyDeleteI feel particularly sad for the young girl, she looked to be about 10 to 12 years old. The adults seemed to be off duty .....
DeleteSo sad for the little girl, and equally angry with the irresponsible adults. Not you, the ones responsible for the dog.
ReplyDeleteAfter 18 years watching adults turn their kids and dogs loose in the campground, I immediately knew what I was dealing with. My speed limit was 5, not that it was obeyed, but it made it easier to stop for pets and children. Speed limit on the road was 45and hard to come to a sudden stop.
Deletehow horrible. hopefully the dog wasn't so badly injured if he got up and ran off and he'll recover. he who did his best to not hit the poor thing.
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure the dog died. She was hurt pretty bad from the impact. The speed limit is 45 on that road and the traffic was moving along. We offered to help get her loaded into a vehicle to get to a vet, but they did not seem to want to. She was still breathing, but made no noise. He still felt bad for having hit the dog. People who love dogs don't take it well to know they caused the pain.
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