I went to the street and saw skid marks in the dirt and marking from
the dog's paws. I assumed Boomer ran into the woods. My son and I
searched for over an hour in the woods for our dog. After having given
up hope, I came inside to hear a message on our answering machine that
the dog was up on Stagecoach Road.
We retrieved the dog and found he had a gaping head wound and the left
side of his face and eye swollen. Fortunately Dr. Hadden happened to be
in the office and took the dog immediately. We are lucky his wounds
only required a few stitches and a week's worth of antibiotics.
While I take full responsibility for the dog not being properly
restrained, I am deeply saddened that the individual responsible for
hitting my dog did not stop. From the sounds I heard and the skid marks
in the road, I am confident the driver knew the dog was hit. If
"Boomer" had been more seriously wounded and we spent over an hour
looking for him in the wrong direction, this could have been the
difference between the dog's life and death.
"Boomer" is a 10-month-old rescue dog in need of serious exercise and
training. We walk him multiple times a day, but he still needs to burn
off energy and when he gets off leash, he will run. We are aware of his
habit of chasing cars and are currently undergoing training classes. We
will be putting in a fence to help insure his safety.
To my neighbors and visitors: Use caution and maintain appropriate
speed while driving our roads. Spring is coming, children will be out
on bikes and, yes, dogs do wander the roads. Let's take this incident
as a warning to slow down and remember we are on country roads, not the
freeway.
I would like to thank Nancy up on Stagecoach for the call and watching
my dog. Additionally, my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to Dr.
Hadden and his staff at The Valley Animal Hospital for their dedication
to their profession and love for animals.
Diane McNeish
Fayston
{loadnavigation}
