Viewpoints
Re: Upsetting Halloween Experience
By Suzan Thompson
November 08, 2006
Wednesday PM
I am so sorry that Amy Schmitt's family had such an upsetting
experience on Halloween. She's absolutely right when she says
that the driver had a responsibility to stop after realizing
that he or she had hit something on the road, especially with
so many children about. I hope that Ms. Schmitt's children are
able to come to terms with their shock and will realize that
not all drivers are as irresponsible as the one they encountered
on Halloween night.
That said, I am also sorry for the lady whose dog was killed,
but I'm sorriest for the dog. Perhaps the dog had never been
allowed to run loose before and this was the sad result of the
single time it escaped and was on the road. If that's the case,
my sympathies. However, I live on North Point Higgins, and there
are the same eight or ten dogs running loose on this road day
and night. They are a hazard to drivers and the dogs are in danger
every day.
In the last four years we've had three dogs hit by cars in front
of our house. (The drivers stopped in two of the incidents, but
the third driver ignored the dog.) It seems the owners are never
around to deal with the aftermath when one of these poor animals
gets run over. It's never the owners who have to deal with their
dog's agony and all the blood. It's not the owners who have to
carry their injured or dying pet out of the middle of the road.
It's not the owners who have to calm a driver who is traumatized
by something which wasn't their fault. It's never the owners
who have to try to comfort sobbing children who were just on
their way to school and should never have had to witness such
a terrible thing.
Maybe it's because it's usually somebody else who has to deal
with the inevitable results of an owner's carelessness and disregard
for the welfare of their dog, that people still allow their animals
to run loose on a busy road. It never seems to occur to these
owners that it's not just their pet they're putting at risk.
Drivers, passengers, and pedestrians are all in danger if somebody
swerves to avoid an animal. It might take a hefty fine or a lawsuit
to get these owners to pay attention.
Again, I'm sorry that the Schmitt family had such a bad experience,
and I'm thankful that they stopped and checked the ditch, tried
to help the animal, called the owner, and did the right thing
when the driver did not. Hard as it was, it was a good lesson
for their children in how responsible people behave in such a
sad situation.
Suzan Thompson
Ketchikan, AK
About: "There are two dogs running loose down the middle
of the street in front of my house as I write this."
Related Viewpoint:
 Upsetting
Halloween Experience By Amy Schmitt - Ketchikan, AK
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