[Tucson]

I had a traumatic experience on my recent vacation. It is a very sad event. There was a dog running around a parking lot of a Motel 6. I ran over it and it died. The employee who was the owner arrived a bit later when called by another employee. I felt so sad and shaken, but I am sure nothing like what the owner had felt and probably is still feeling. I will not describe what I saw.

He told me that it was his dog for three months and had invested time and money in his dog, a significant emotional investment. He was having another employee watch after his dog while it ran around the complex. The dog had a leg bandaged where apparently there was a previous injury.

He demanded a sizable amount of money.. He wanted my name and address. I decided not to give him this information. But I did everything I could to show him how terrible I felt about what I did to him. I offered to help in any way I could aside from the money. But then the conversation went terribly wrong. I understood his grief, but I did not know how to handle this situation.

Now that I have been thinking back to that terrible accident, I have been feeling really depressed and overwhelmed. I guess this is in part is normal. But I am having problems functioning. I need to function in order to take care of my mother which is a full time job.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to cope with this? Any suggestions at all?VI wish I could bring that dog back to life.

[Daonnachd]

I don't doubt you feel awful, but I think you were right to withhold your name and address.

I wish you strength and resilience.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

I'm so sorry this happened to you. But it wasn't your fault and it sounds like the owner was way over the line, grief or not. I'm glad you didn't give him money or your information. The dog shouldn't have been running loose. I would have a very difficult time coping with this (it's one of my greatest fears) so I can only send you empathy but please don't blame yourself. Have you talked to a therapist about this? That would be my first action just to help get the awful memories out of my head.

[Nammu]

It sound to me like he was taking advantage of your emotional state and demanding money. No dog owner I know would have allowed their dog to be running lose in a parking lot whether or not they had asked a friend to watch it. You were right not to give out your name and address.

I'm so sorry that happened. That has to be traumatic.