People make me so angry!

A dear friend of mine hit and killed a rather large dog with her car. She is also an animal lover but that is neither here nor there. Her name is mud because she has requested that the owner of the dog pay for the damages to her car. I'm not a very popular person in this area myself because when some friends were discussing how cold hearted it was for her to make the request when the owners of the dog lost their beloved pet I expressed my opinion in no uncertain terms.

DARN IT! This dog ran loose frequently! This isn't even the first time the dog has been hit by a car! It is the pet owner's responsibility to make sure their pet was as safe as possible by keeping the animal under control!

How is it "wrong" or bad form to hold someone accountable for their actions? I am truly sorry that this family lost a pet, but they truly have no one to blame but themselves! This woman is a single mother and the damage has made the car undrivable. She was driving the speed limit on a public road, the dog ran out in front of her. Why should she have to absorb the cost of her damaged car? I for one think she's being very generous, she's only asking for her deductable. I wouldn't! Why should my insurance premiums go up because you refuse to control your animal?

Their treatment of the woman driving the car makes my blood boil, but their habitual neglect of their dog directly lead to its death in my opinion. I think they should be punished for this.

My dog was ran over some year and a half ago when she was just about six months old, she was out without a lead with me on the farm when she just ran to the left towards the road rather than the field. The car drove on it was a hit and run....

I would rather they told me about it and I would of gladly paid for any repairs to the car as even though it was an accident it was still my responsability to keep a check on my dog.

I've had my dog sneak out on me as well. These things happen. I just cannot comprehend letting your dog run loose day after day, having it hit by several times (three that I know of) and then have the audacity to villianize the truly innocent person involved.

I remember when your dog was hit, how is she doing these days?

It does sound like the owners were certainly irresponsible. My husband's last car was demolished by a group of deer that ran out in front of him. Alas, I guess you could say that their owner was the state of North Carolina, and they certainly didn't pay. But really should have......

I agree with you on this one--I'm sad, too, about the dog--but it wasn't your friend's fault! The owners ought to at least try to help with the bill--if not cover the whole thing! Animals can really damage cars the way they are made today--out of plastic and thin metal.

Yes I agree with you about the car damage. There's a golden retriever down my street that has run free many times. One time I even used my dogs leash and brought their dog back home. One wintery night I was driving my daughter to karate and their house is right where the road makes a bend. The road were slippery and out of no where the dog runs across the road - I came within inches of hitting him. It really flustered me. Now if I ever see this dog lose again, I have the number for the dog pound on my fridge. Some people who love animals get very upset when they hit animal and sometimes they veer too severely and hit trees.

Bravo to you for speaking up!! Couldn't agree more. I LOVE dogs!! (unfortunately lost my beloved just a few months ago to old age) But it is totally the owner's responsibility to keep them safe. Yes, they can escape us on occasion, but this sounds like negligence. Makes me angry too!!

One of the first things we teach any dog we've ever had is to stay out of the street. I'm thankful I never lost a dog in such a way.

We used to walk our dog to the park in the evenings to meet our friends and their dogs. One friend was a very old man named Gus and his unruly but beloved German Shepherd named Muffy. Muffy was a sweetheart, but she never listened to anyone - not even Gus. If she saw a rabbit, there was no stopping her - she was too strong, and Gus had grown too frail to hang onto her. When Muffy would run into the street, Gus would run after her. I don't know how many times we almost witnessed the two of them getting hit by a car or truck.

Gus was married to Peggy, and they were childhood sweethearts. She really loved Muffy too. If Gus and Muffy would have been killed by a car, you would expect Peggy to pay for the damage to the car?? I guess it would make sense...but it sounds a little harsh.

I hope your friend receives the money she needs to fix her car. If the owners of the dog get another one, I hope they teach it to stay out of the street.

Harsh or not, it is a reality. Pets and children rely upon us. My opinion is if Gus was no longer able to handle his animal he should have found a home for it. Pets are a HUGE responsibility, almost more so than having children. At some point children grow up and are able to fend for themselves and can make logical decisions. Pets are animals with animal instincts, if we expect them to live in civilization we must protect them from harm. Loss does not offset responsibility.

I guess, but Gus really loved that dog. He was trying very hard to keep it all together, especially after his wife Peggy died. None of us had the heart to tell him to get rid of his dog. When his kids from out-of-state found out what was happening, they took responsibility and did the civilized thing. They placed Muffy in a shelter, where she was euthanized. They sold his house and placed Gus in a nursing home somewhere far away. Knowing Gus as we did, with his free spirit and stubborn nature, I doubt he's still around. It's kinda strange to call their actions responsible and civilized protection of both Muffy and Gus. I guess the health, welfare and protection of automobiles is more important. Seriously, I realize it was probably their only option. Life has it's harsh moments, and endings are never easy. I sure do miss that old man and his unruly dog though.

Greetings to you Kathy

I do not see anywhere that it was mentioned that a human was struck along with the animal

I do believe that if an animal owner cannot control their animals then they should not have animals

In my time dogs were for cleaning food scraps off the floor and keeping the serving boys warm while they slept at night in front of the fire on the stone floors they were not pets

Cats were used for catching rats and mice that is why they are called cats, it is the shortening of catchers

Morgana

I don't really have an opinion on weather the individual that struck the dog should have to pay for damages or not. What I do have a strong opinion on is animals that are not supervised. They are not aware of the dangers. (I would NEVER be in favor of taking a beloved pet away from anyone regardless of the owners age) I do however believe that as pet owners we are responsible for their safety.

I have been on both sides of this scenario...I had a dog that was hit. She was outside playing with my kids but I feel responsible. Also, I hit a yellow lab puppy maybe only 5 mo old in the pitch dark of night that was sitting in the middle of the highway....killed it dead. The owner's cared so little they allowed the corpse to decompose on the side of the road. I still drive that route every day and it still bothers me terribly 5 yrs later

Yeah, I evidently hit a cat one night. That's what looked like darted right out in front of my car anyway. There were some scattered houses around, but I was alone and scared to get out of my car to check around. I still feel guilty after many years. Of course, I still feel sad about hitting a squirrel, too.

I think the key concern is not the lady's "precious" car, but the money it will cost her to repair it. Even if she has some insurance that covers it, my experience is that the insurance companies often jack up the rates after they get a claim from us! And, of course, if the car is now undrivable, then that's tough, too....

I was also considering that the owners have a history of letting their dog run loose....

Hi Morgana

Thanks. Yeah, no humans were harmed in AAAAA's post. It got me wondering, then my mind wandered over to the terror we felt when Muffy and Gus would run into oncoming traffic. It made me think of the value of a human's life as opposed to the value of an animal's life - as opposed to the value of an automobile. I was compelled to ask my "what if" question.

Some people (me included) consider their pets to be a part of the family and love them as if they were their own children. That was how Gus felt about his dog. Children can be unruly too and occasionally run out in front of traffic. When we lectured Gus on his inability to control his dog, that was his excuse - he never gave away any of his unruly kids, so why would we expect him to give away his unruly dog? The possibility of him being hit by a car didn't phase him - said he was old enough to know how to cross a street. When we told him we'd be horrified to see him hit by a car, he'd laugh and say "Then don't look."

AAAAA - I apologize for taking this off-topic. Thank you for allowing me to ramble on your thread.

LOL...Ya, I've been tempted to do that

Due to the loss of my beloved big "Ol' Yeller" dog this year I am a bit sensitive about animal rights.

Love to all

I love my dogs and spent a fortune at the vets when one of my dogs was ran over, however I do not put them on equal footing with my children. The law states that a dog is the responsability of the owner and as such should pay for repairs to a car if damaged.

You'all, I had a moment like this today. Was on my way to do some weaving with the other weaving wenches when I saw a young cat hit and tossed by a car on the highway. It dragged its hindquarters of into the bushes and I pulled over and searched for it, only to meet up with three more young cats. I walk up to the nearest farm house and ask about the cat, being escorted by no fewer than twelve kittens in different ages. The old guy in the house claps me on the back, thanks me for stopping, goes into the house and gets a rake, then starts to rake through the bushes, whereby no fewer than 15-16 cats and kittens tumble out and take off.
By the time I got to weaving I was so furious I was doing the Manic Rantand I was sure that the poor ladies thought they were going to have to lock me in one of the storage bins for a while.
WHY CAN*T THEY GET THEM FIXED? There were so many cans of cat food stacked against the house wall, it looked like an aluminum addition to the porch. Don't tell me that was cheap?????? I close my eyes and I still see that poor kitten flip in the other cars' headlights- Sorry. REALLY TRIGGERED: He thinks I hit the cat, and wasn't even angry. I just didn't want it to crawl off and hide and go into shock. Rake it out of the bushes. SHEESHHH! "#%&//(!!!!!!!!