How could She?

ruben

Yesterday evening I was coming home from work and as coincidence would have it, ended up as the car behind my Husband as we approached the turning to our road, from the main road.

We both have hands free phones and were chatting to each other as we drove along at about 30mph, as there was one car in front of Mr Ruben. There were two cars behind me, maybe about 10-15 car lengths back. A golden Lab walked/ambled across the road as we were passing and Mr Ruben said he would stop and bring it to it's home as he thought he recognized it. As I passed the dog I kept him in my sights in my rear view mirror to ensure he didn't dark back the other way.

As I watched the stupid bint in the car behind hit him!!

She really must not have been watching what she was doing as there was no way in hell she should have hit him. She had heaps of time to see him and the whole other side of the road to use as there was no other traffic and the road was straight, so no danger there.

Immediately, both myself and Mr Reuben stopped , as did the car behind the car that hit the dog. It was evident that the dog was badly injured.

The person in the car that him..............................just kept driving!!! Didn't stop, swerve, brake......nada......just kept driving!!!!!

Mr. Ruben put him in the back of his jeep and took him to the local Vet, who scanned him and as luck would it he was chipped. She sedated him and tried to examine him but he was so stressed and in shock she couldn't determine his injuries. She said she would have to wait until he calmed a little.

I am waiting now for Mr Ruben to phone me, he was going to phone the vet this morning to see how the poor guy is.

Just imagine someone like that being your friend, or sister, or daughter, or wife. I really wouldn't want to know someone who would do such a thing as to drive away and not even try to help the poor animal. It beggars belief in my mind.

Noopti

Anyone who hits someones pet and then just drives on is a cruel, inhuman idiot. Did you not manage to get the reg number of their car?

andrewh5

It is an offence to not report hitting a dog while driving to the Gardaí. If you got her number you can report her for it.
Callous b1tch needs locking up!!!

arybvtcw0eolkf

Ok this is a view I've always held onto, and will continue to do so.

If someone is driving so fast, or carelessly that he/she can't avoid hitting a dog that same person would do the same to a child had it been a child walking out onto the road in place of the dog.

OP, lets know ASAP when you get news please.

Noopti

Mairt wrote: »

Ok this is a view I've always held onto, and will continue to do so.

If someone is driving so fast, or carelessly that he/she can't avoid hitting a dog that same person would do the same to a child had it been a child walking out onto the road in place of the dog.

OP, lets know ASAP when you get news please.

+1
This person shouldn't be on the road if they can't avoid a dog, given the situation you described.

LULU007

Yep, that's what I would do too.
Get the reg number.

I've no interest and no sympathy on people who don't like animals. I don't see how you can be good to children or to other people that is if you don't like animals

big b

Was this just outside Spiddal?

Helluva coincidence if not.

I'd have stopped myself, but there wasn't much room, there seemed to be enough people around anyway........and I couldn't have faced those 3 kids hanging over the gate looking at their poor dog. Well, I would have if no-one else had stopped, but you know what I mean.


Didn't know it was a hit & run. I'd have gladly chased the b*stard & dealt out some instant justice.

Sadly, it's far from being the first time I've seen or heard of hit-and-run accidents involving dogs in the area. :(:(

OP, please post any updates when you can.

LULU007

Jeez!
did that happen in front of the kids??
My! I really hope that b1tch gets reported to the gairds!!!

ruben

Yes, it was on the Spiddal road!
No, I didn't get her number and I was kicking myself all evening over it, Mr Ruben couldn't believe he was so distracted not to get it either.

No, the kids were not the owners of the dog, thankfully but Mr Ruben stopped to tell them the story on his way back home from the vets.

Have just spoken to the vet and she says he has spinal injuries. The owners are taking a time out to see how they go from here but he is insured and not in any pain or distress at the mo. Fingers crossed for the poor boy.

lostinnappies

some people just dont give a sh&% about anyone/thing but themselves. Like a woman who i saw driving along in a traffic jam honking her horn and reving up her engine. Its not as if she was going somewhere different to the rest of the people in the traffic jam... she was just more "special" then everyone else and was terribly upset that the jesus himself didnt come down to part the sea of traffic.

Those types of people shouldnt be allowed to have a car.

MsFifers

My friend's cat was killed the same way last week, a woman driving a jeep who could have easily avoided the cat but obviously wasn't paying attention. My friend's 3 year old was standing by - could just as easily have been him.

beaushalloe

my baby puss was killed last night/this morning, we found hime dead by the side of the road. im devasted.

lostinnappies

beaushalloe wrote: »

my baby puss was killed last night/this morning, we found hime dead by the side of the road. im devasted.

oh poor beaushalloe, you have all my sympathies.:(

big b

I'm still fizzing about this.

When I passed the OP & Mr OP last night, I thought it was one of their cars that had hit the dog. I could see Mr OP trying to hold the poor dog up.

Was telling Mrs B when she got home, and was saying fair play to the people for stopping.
When I read this morning that it was a hit & run my blood boiled. I didn't even read that it was a woman driver. On reflection, I certainly wouldn't have dished out my own justice on a woman, but I'd certainly have tailed her till I got the reg & address & called the Guards.

Her & people like her are heartless self-obsessed scum & I despise them. I really hope there is such a thing as karma.

To try & finish this on a positive, I think even more respect is due to the OP & her OH for stopping, trying to help & even taking the poor dog to a vet (which I know is more than just a drive round the corner from there).

Well done, I wish there were more like you.
Fingers crossed that the big fella recovers.

kerrysgold

Poor dog, I hope he's going to be alright. What an idiot that hit him, it's bad enough to hit him but not to stop is just disgusting. Do the owners normally let him wander? Poor guy. Good for you and your husband to stop and help him though.

monty_python

a friend of mine was doing his driving test a few years back. while he was reversing around a corner he hit a dog and immedeitly stoped the car to check on the dog. after the test had finished the tester said that he had failed and if he didnt stop to check the dog he would have passed!!!


sounds very heartless to me

Top Dog

monty_python wrote: »

a friend of mine was doing his driving test a few years back. while he was reversing around a corner he hit a dog and immedeitly stoped the car to check on the dog. after the test had finished the tester said that he had failed and if he didnt stop to check the dog he would have passed!!!


sounds very heartless to me

As far as I'm aware (I'm open to correction as its a few years since I did my test) but by law you have to stop and also report an incident to gardai whenever you hit a dog or larger animal. Not only for the welfare of the animal, but if damage is done to the car then the owners of the dog/animal are liable for all repair costs. So if the driver doesn't stop, and later discovers damage to their vehicle then its tough s**t on them for repair bills.

So I'd say the tester was in the wrong to have failed your friend. But like I said, I'm open to correction.

SuzyS1972

This happened in front of me last year too - got badly bitten scooping the wee terrier up and sadly she died in my car on the way to the vets.
I contacted my local paper who did an article about it - justto highlight the dangers of roaming dogs and also the heartless git who hit the poor soul and kept driving - I really understand how you feel.

junkyard

It has to be said though, why do people leave their dogs loose on the roads? I'm forever rescuing dogs! Only last week I fished a black Lab out of the tide after he fell in near where I work, if I wasn't there he was a gonner, then I was lucky my sister took him as nobody claimed him. People should be more responsible, I'd be all for stricter dog ownership rules if it saved the lives of dogs. But then again some people near me can't control their kids, what hope is there for their dog.:(

ruben

Well turns out the chaps name is Laddy and he is owned by neighbors of ours!
Mrs Laddy phoned last night to thank us for stopping and let us know how the chap is.

Mr Laddy brought him to Dublin yesterday in order to have some test done to determine whether or not he has a spinal injury. He had cuts which were superficial enough and just stitched up and has no broken bones, so if the test results are good then hopefully he should make a good recovery. Unfortunately, the fear is that there is some problem with his spine so fingers crossed.

As to why he was roaming on the road in the first place, don't even get me started.

big b

Glad to hear most of the damage was superficial...or seems to be.

Thanks for the update Ruben.

lostinnappies

Top Dog wrote: »

As far as I'm aware (I'm open to correction as its a few years since I did my test) but by law you have to stop and also report an incident to gardai whenever you hit a dog or larger animal. Not only for the welfare of the animal, but if damage is done to the car then the owners of the dog/animal are liable for all repair costs. So if the driver doesn't stop, and later discovers damage to their vehicle then its tough s**t on them for repair bills.

So I'd say the tester was in the wrong to have failed your friend. But like I said, I'm open to correction.

I dont know if things have changed since I took my driving test... but at that stage it was a point of "a human life is more important then an animal" If you stopped or slowed down because of an animal, you failed your test. Simply because by stopping/slowing/swerving may cause an accident behind you etc.

It may have changed since then.

Dyr

Mairt wrote: »

Ok this is a view I've always held onto, and will continue to do so.

If someone is driving so fast, or carelessly that he/she can't avoid hitting a dog that same person would do the same to a child had it been a child walking out onto the road in place of the dog.

I was just about to post that, you can't brake for a dog, you cant brake for a person.

I know of people who wont try brake for an animal just to avoid damaging their car...

seamus

Top Dog wrote: »

As far as I'm aware (I'm open to correction as its a few years since I did my test) but by law you have to stop and also report an incident to gardai whenever you hit a dog or larger animal. Not only for the welfare of the animal, but if damage is done to the car then the owners of the dog/animal are liable for all repair costs. So if the driver doesn't stop, and later discovers damage to their vehicle then its tough s**t on them for repair bills.

Actually, it depends on circumstances.

Dogs, cats and certain other animals (mostly farm animals), are considered "property". Exactly the same as if you crashed into someone else's wall, if you hit someone's property with your vehicle, you are obliged to report the incident to the property owner and pay any damages, if you are at fault.
If you are unable to ascertain the owner of the animal, you are obliged to report it to Gardai.
For wildlife, such as rats or badgers, you're not obliged to stop.

Hitting an animal does not absolve you of blame. If a farmer is walking his cows down the road and you manage to hit one, you're at fault.

Clearly the tester was 100% wrong in failing her for stopping for the animal. She was obliged by law to do so.

I saw an "almost" incident similar to the OPs a few months back. Some kids had obviously been left in control of a largish puppy which had gotten loose from them and was running all over the road in Harold's Cross. I stopped, as did the cars coming the other way. When the dog had moved over to my side of the road, the cars on the other side started moving, but one guy was clearly oblivious to the reason why we'd stopped in the first place. The dog ran back across the road right in front of him and he kept going, even though about five people standing on the path started screaming at him.
There was no more than a hair's length between the dog and the front wheel - he was already under the bumper - but he managed to run out in time.

I was raging.

leopardus

I was up in Mayo a couple of years back when i witnessed a lovely springer spaniel bitch being hit by a car. Dog was in a bad state, myself and the driver of the car 'responsible' (the dog was walking in the middle of a main road at a blind bend) managed to manoeuvre the petrified and badly injured dog to somewhere safe (= very aggresive). Rang around to try find a vet that would take him in (Sunday morning, rurual Mayo, not an easy task) while simulataneously trying to find the owners house, which I did.
The woman who owned the dog couldn't have given two sh**s what happened to it. Didn't even attempt to go out to see it. The callous woman seemed annoyed that I had disturbed her lie-in more than anything else. It really disgusted me.

ISDW

seamus wrote: »

Actually, it depends on circumstances.

Dogs, cats and certain other animals (mostly farm animals), are considered "property".

As far as I know, cats are never owned by anybody in law, which is why if your cat ever causes any damage, you are not liable for it.

Might also explain the awful way cats are treated.

glineli

I hit a dog a few years ago, he jumped out under a gate and straight out under me, i couldnt do anything. I rang the gardai, as i thought you had to. The garda said, what you want me to do, send out the crime scene guys to investigate, and started laughing.

I eventually got the local SPCA on the phone and they came out and collected the dog.

It was the reaction of the garda that was shocking though

ergonomics

lostinnappies wrote: »

I dont know if things have changed since I took my driving test... but at that stage it was a point of "a human life is more important then an animal" If you stopped or slowed down because of an animal, you failed your test. Simply because by stopping/slowing/swerving may cause an accident behind you etc.

It may have changed since then.

I am a HUGE animal lover and don't know what I'll do if I ever hit an animal. When I was preparing for my test a dog ran out in front of me during a lesson. I had seen it on the path and was prepared for it to run out so I slowed down. When it ran out I slowed to a stop and popped my hazards on. I apologised to the instructor but he said what I did was perfectly ok, but if an animal runs out in front of you and you slam on your brakes or swerve that could cause an accident and is a big no-no. So you can stop or slow down for an animal, once you don't create a hazard.

I was always taught that when driving through a residential area or town you keep an eye under vans/cars for people's feet behind the vehicle who may be preparing to walk out in front of you. If you see feet, you slow down and anticipate a hazard. I do this still, but I also look for animals that may run out in front of me and as such I have avoided many near misses with animals. It's something I would always advise others to do!

mary123

Did u hear how the poor dog is.

Even though i dont agree with this law. The law is actually on the person who hit the dog side. She hasnt done anything wrong(in the eye of the law). It is in fact the owner of the dog who is in trouble. If the dog has done any damage to the car the owners will beheld responsible.

Top Dog

mary123 wrote: »

She hasnt done anything wrong(in the eye of the law). It is in fact the owner of the dog who is in trouble. If the dog has done any damage to the car the owners will beheld responsible.

If the driver had actually stopped then you'd be correct. However, they fled the scene so as such they have broken the law - leaving the scene of an accident, failing to keep a vehicle at the accident scene, failing to report an accident.

If the dog in this situation has caused any damage to the car (which I'm hoping it did given the actions of the driver) then the driver doesn't have a leg to stand on and will have to pay for the repairs themselves. Small justice really.

ruben

Sorry to report but poor Laddy didn't make it.

His spinal cord was severed and there was not hope of a recovery.
Poor guy. His owner brought him back home and they buried him in the garden.

Noopti

Oh no, the poor guy.

Whispered

Really sorry to hear that OP. You certainly did your best, so well done.

big b

Dammit, I thought & hoped this would have a happy ending.:(

Sage'sMama

I am so glad that you and your husband stopped to see how the dog was and brought it to the vets and i'm certain the owners are really grateful. My hubby hit a cat in my car recently and luckily missed the wheels i was with him when it happened there was no time to brake it literally ran out a two foot from the bonnet. I jumped out of the car and ran to get it but it had gone into the hedge it was there and i brought it into the local vet. It was fine there was only a small cut and a bit of concussion but i was so glad it was okay. I paid to have it checked and everything as i didn't know who owned again it was microchipped so was reunited with it's owners. I cannot understand the heartlessness that would cause someone to drive off after hitting a dog surely she damaged her car in the process.

Sage'sMama

The poor pet. I can only hope what goes around comes around and the ***** suffers the consequences for her behaviour. I'm sorry but the poor family have just lost their pet because of her carelessness and if it was pet i would hunt her down......

colincolin

Don't get me wrong I'm a dog lover myself, that's why I keep them in the garden or when out on a leash. It's the owner’s fault and should be held responsible for damages to the car. (And yes I know it’s the drivers’ responsibility to report the accident) If the dog had have attacked a young child you lot wouldn't have been all ah poor dog. Also I'm sick of avoiding dog filth on our streets due to irresponsible pet owners and how do you feel about young children falling in dog dirt in the play areas.

BlackCat2008

Yes the law still stands, i tuck a test recently, I was told by my instructor that I was not to slow down were birds were concerned and that I would be failed and never stop for a cat or dog just keep going she didn't say anything about reporting it.

Personally I blame those not watching the road, I almost hit the grey hound I have here, I didn't know weather he was going to run out or not or the girls running from him were, I was slowing because I was taking a left turn any way, nearly stopped went to move on and stop again as he ran out into the road, I knew there was a car behind me and she had stopped to and along came mister road racer and went straight up the back of her, he should have been slowing down as he was going left a s well, only that the woman was aware of why I stopped and left a distance in front of her, the impact was that hard she would have hit me as well even though her car was fully stopped, had there of been a Que of cars waiting for the light to change he would still have hit her.

Stopped and tuck a dog of an ambulance man a few weeks back that he hit as he was going to help someone that had drowned or nearly drowned and ask the people who had been staring at the driver and left him with the dog were the owners lived and they replied we are. I could have kicked them from one end of the road to the other, the driver wouldn't leave till some one could help the dog, and would have lost his job and another person if he didn't attended.

Have to question why people see the need to neglect there brains.

I'm sorry to here your efforts were in vain, you's obviously have good hearts to stop in the first place to take him of the roads to safety.

ruben

Colincolin, yes you are right.
The ultimate responsibility is with the owners and I think if you read back, that point was made.

It is also my understanding that the damage to her car should be covered by the dog's owners but given that she didn't stop, she will now have to cover her own costs (there was damage - bits of debris on the road).

The dogs owners had to pay to have their dog treated as well as pay with their emotions, as in spite of all appearances to the contrary, this was a much loved family pet.

So they both lost out.

But ultimately and yet again, a dog paid with his life for both their different sets of irresponsibility towards him.

colincolin

ruben wrote: »

The dogs owners had to pay to have their dog treated as well as pay with their emotions, as in spite of all appearances to the contrary, this was a much loved family pet.

If they loved their pet it wouldn't have been out wandering the streets, the dog is the only looser her. It's owners such as them that put dogs in a bad light due to defecation on the streets and attacks on young children. The owners' should to have been prosecuted for having a dog roaming the streets. I have no sympathy for them what so ever. What did they expect a dog to obey traffic lights and clean up its dirt. I don't think so and anyone who does is just being plain ignorant.

The owners shouldn't be allowed to own a dog again because they've clearly shown they're not responsible enough.[/FONT]

Whispered

colincolin wrote: »

If they loved their pet it wouldn't have been out wandering the streets, the dog is the only looser her. It's owners such as them that put dogs in a bad light due to defecation on the streets and attacks on young children. The owners' should to have been prosecuted for having a dog roaming the streets. I have no sympathy for them what so ever. What did they expect a dog to obey traffic lights and clean up its dirt. I don't think so and anyone who does is just being plain ignorant.

The owners shouldn't be allowed to own a dog again because they've clearly shown they're not responsible enough.[/FONT]

Colin, back up a bit there. The OP has done the right thing by helping the dog and is obviously pretty upset by the whole incident. OP also agreed that the owners should not have let the dog out AND the op actually said something along the lines of the dog being the one to suffer before you did. Stop being agressive for the sake of it.

Dyr

colincolin wrote: »

It's owners such as them that put dogs in a bad light due to defecation on the streets and attacks on young children. The owners' should to have been prosecuted for having a dog roaming the streets. I have no sympathy for them what so ever.
.[/FONT]

Does this have anything to do with the topic or are you just ranting for the sake of it? And now that i think of it, why are these kids out on the streets on their own?

big b

helena.ryan wrote: »

Colin, back up a bit there. The OP has done the right thing by helping the dog and is obviously pretty upset by the whole incident. OP also agreed that the owners should not have let the dog out AND the op actually said something along the lines of the dog being the one to suffer before you did. Stop being agressive for the sake of it.

+1

This was a big dog & he had clearly not got to his age by walking across a major road every day. Dogs can & do escape their gardens occassionally & it's not always the owners' fault when it happens.

Bearing in mind the previous posts & the general feeling of this thread - if you can't say something nice, just don't say anything at all. There's plenty other threads to work out your frustrations on.

ergonomics

colincolin wrote: »

The owners shouldn't be allowed to own a dog again because they've clearly shown they're not responsible enough.

Accidents happen. Before we got our dog, Honey, we made sure our back garden was completely secure as she is left out there during the day. She managed to get out one day as one panel on the fence had slipped down at some point. Honey got into the neighbour's garden, out through their open gate and was hit by a car. She was perfectly fine and managed to come back to the house and get back into the garden, leaving us none the wiser. We saw a cut on her leg and thought she had cut it trying to get through the broken bit of fence, still not realising that she had actually escaped. We nailed the panel back in place immediately. A couple of days later I was walking her and a woman stopped me and told me she had hit her with her car but Honey had run away before she got out of the car and that she was glad to see she was ok.

Even though it was a complete accident, by your rights I should not be allowed own a dog as my dog was, at one point, roaming free on the streets and got knocked down. Will I leave Honey into the local SPCA tomorrow lest she escape again?

I am really sorry to hear about Laddy. I had hoped there would be a happy ending to this story. Hope karma gets the cow that hit him.

jen_23

Guys that is such a sad story. I read the thread from start to finish and i'm nearly in tears! Poor Laddy
Well done OP for doing all you could. I wish there had been a happy ending.
However i'm a full on believer in Karma and I certainly hope that that women get's what's coming.
We all know accidents happen but there is no excuse for not dealing with the consequences esp when it's negligence.
As some ppl have already said that could just as easily have been a child as to a dog.
Such a shame

big b

Folks, following is taken from todays Galway Advertiser readers letters section.

I'm no big baby, but this just put a massive lump in my throat.

---

Callous female driver left stricken dog in agony on Spiddal road
Galway Advertiser, October 30, 2008.
Dear Editor,

This letter is directed to the woman driver of the blue saloon who ran over our golden Labrador in Spiddal and just kept driving leaving pieces of her car on the road. Such was the force of the impact that his spinal cord was broken, rendering him unable to use his back legs or wag his tail which used to wag constantly.

Fortunately a kind woman,Gail Cassidy and a neighbour Tony Daly stopped to assist “Laddie” who could not move. Gail took Laddie to the vet in Barna. Sadly even a trip to UCD in Dublin could not save Laddie and he was put to sleep on October 21, his birthday.

The distress that this has caused our four children aged nine – 18 cannot be described, he was the fifth child and like most family pets, an integral part of the family. Accidents happen and no one would blame a driver who accidentally ran over a dog or cat, but to leave a dog crippled and crying for help demonstrates a character of massive callousness.

Whoever you are you have to live with the guilt. I hope this letter inspires people to stop and help if they accidentally hurt a helpless animal, as only recently I had to stop and help a small dog which was run over by a lorry and left to die in Ballinasloe.

If this letter makes one person stop and help, then Laddie’s death, and our grief will not have been in vain.


Yours,

David Heffernan

Heffernan and Associates Architects Ltd,

Barna Village,

Co Galway.

Noopti

Here, here.

I hope the woman who this is directed at reads it.....and I hope her friends and family do too, and realise it is her. She needs to understand that this type of act is cruel and should not go without some sort of recrimination.

Anti

eyes.... watering...