A little dog ran in front of my car today...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

I missed him; but one of the cars going in the opposite direction didn't. I turned around to see if there was anything I could do for him; but there was blood pouring from his mouth, and he didn't seem to be breathing. I put him on the sidewalk, so he wouldn't be hit again. Still I have this nagging feeling that I should have taken him to a vet.

My mom, Mr GoG, and my youngest son were in the car when I turned around. Mom and Mr GoG kept saying, "There's nothing you can do for him!" and "He's going to bite the hell out of you." But in my head, all I could think was "Fuck you, I'm going to see after the poor critter!" My little boy was very upset about it, of course.

The dog looked like a whippet with a Mexican hairless coat. He was wearing a little sweater; so I know somebody's heart is broken tonight... :cry:

[BuelahWitch]

1. .

:hug:

[fizzgig]

2. ...

:hug:

[BreweryYardRat]

3. I'm sorry...

:hug:

[Robb]

4. Rough. Been there.

:grouphug:

[I Have A Dream]

Thank you for what you did to help him, GofG.

That's too bad! :(

[I Have A Dream]

5. Thank you for what you did to help him, GofG.

That's too bad! :(

[Shell Beau]

6. Oh wow! That makes me sooo sad! That is my one of my worst fears!

Would I have taken him to the vet? Yeah! Should you beat yourself up for not? No, you did more than most would.

That poor pup! :cry: And poor you for having to do that! :hug:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

10. I probably would have if my mom and Mr GoG hadn't been there...

I feel like not listening to my gut was as bad as not taking the pup to the vet. :-(

[kath]

12. GofG, do not feel guilty about this. If blood was pouring from the dog's mouth, the poor thing

did not have a chance and would not have lived more than a few more minutes at most. Nothing could have been done. Tt had *severe* internal injuries and likely spinal cord damage as well.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

15. He was quite small

And the car that hit him was moving fast...didn't even hit the brakes from what I could see in my rearview mirror.

[marzipanni]

7. Ten years ago my neighbor's big dog ran across the street to visit two dogs

on the sidewalk. My neighbor called him, perhaps thinking his big dog might bother the two dogs who accompanied 'their boy' while he got his shoes from the family's van. Along came a pickup truck, which hit the dog as he went back to his owner. It was so sad, my neighbor sat and held his dog, but the dog was dying.

If blood was pouring from the little dog's mouth, I think the only reason to take him to the vet would be that someone might call to find out if the dog had been found and taken there. Could you look up a vet near where this happened and describe the dog in case someone calls around looking for it? The owner might miss the area where it happened if they looked for him when he didn't return home.
If people had ID tags on their dogs it would make life a lot easier for people who want to help them!

[Shell Beau]

8. Doggie ID is so important!

But, if people who hit the animals would just stop. So many times they keep on going. I can't understand that. A friend of mine recently was riding down the road. She saw a dog on the side of the road and he looked dead. She kept driving but still looked in her rear-view. The doggie lifted his head. She turned around, put him in the car, and took him to the vet. They found the owner (no tag, but the vet called around to other vets), the dog lived, and my friend feels great about the situation. Even though most of the times when dogs are hit, their injuries are fatal, it is those that aren't that people should stop and and just check it out. GoG did just that and I think that is great.

[marzipanni]

9. I try to pick up roaming dogs because I worry that they might get hit by a car

I had to keep one in my car for two days before I located the owner(my dog didn't get along with her so she couldn't be in the house).
That's wonderful that your friend probably saved that dog's life.
Our old dog escaped sometimes when our gate would blow open. I would go all over the neighborhood looking for her, with my heart in my throat, afraid that she might see me and run in front of a car, or afraid that I'd hear a screech of tires from a nearby street. Once one of the park maintenance guys called me from the park a block away because he stopped her and saw our phone number on her tag. I hadn't realized she was out of the back yard!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

13. That's a really good idea...

I wouldn't be surprised if the owner usually took the dog to our local vet.

This dog didn't have tags. I got the feeling he escaped from his yard. :-(

ID tags are something I never really thought about for our dog; but I think I'm going to order one now...

[Raven]

11. Why do people let dogs roam???

It is so dangerous! I had a Newfoundland (named Raven) who I let out and she got into a neighbor's garbage, swallowed a corn cob whole, and died in a matter of hours from an obstructed bowel. I will never forgive myself for being careless.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

14. I can't imagine that he was allowed to roam...

I'd be willing to bet that someone either left the gate open or the dog dug under a fence. He was pretty small. When I was a kid, people often let their dogs roam in the town; and so many were killed on the highway near my house...the same one where I found this pup.

Fortunately, a loose dog is a rare sight around here now.