In one weekend alone, Victor and I have been around
two accidents involving pets. On Sunday, Matt went out and was on a fairly busy road (the kind where parents don't let their kids play in the front yard) when he saw a dog in a driveway, standing there perfectly normal. As he got closer to this driveway, the dog jumped out into the road, I guess to cross it. He jumped
right in front of Matt's car, and Matt hit him. He could feel the rumble of the dog under his car, and worse, could hear it. Matt stopped, got out of the car, and was soon met by a neighbor whose daughter had seen the whole thing. "There's nothing you could have done, he just jumped out. These people never keep their dog in the yard - we knew this would happen sooner or later." And again this afternoon, we saw another wreck.
For the past few weeks now, this HUGE dog has been coming around. He's the sweetest, dumbest thing I've ever met. :) We really like him. Well, for the most part we really like him. He eats Jack's food, gets into our trash, and puts Ava into a frenzy every time he comes over... but that's all manageable... Well today he was over and Victor and I were in the middle of getting Ava to calm down and just sniff the big guy when he took off in a happy dash towards to road. We live smack in the middle of a big curve. At that same moment a young guy on a 150cc bike was coming down the road - the two met in a horrible crash that sent the kid flying off his bike into the road. The dog, well I don't really know
what happened to him. He was hit, but by the time we got our eyes off the kid in the road, he was gone. We still haven't found him. But the fistful of fur in the front tire sure doesn't look good.
Here's what I'm getting at. Both of these dogs were collared and socialized, which tells me they are loved, at least on an emotional level, by someone. And this breaks my heart. Somewhere tonight, some pet owners are missing their sweet dogs. And then my blood boils. It's all their fault. If you love your pets, take care of them. Love is not a selfish thing. Love is not just the warm feeling you get from holding you dog or getting a nice "shake" from them. It's looking out for them, feeding them, protecting them, and teaching them how to love back. When I see dogs running around, I see lazy lovers. Seriously. And it breaks my heart. So love you dogs. We have Ava and Audrey on an invisible fence to prevent this very thing. If you have a pet but aren't doing what you can to protect him, don't tell me you love him. You're a liar. That, and a selfish lover. That's all there is.
Oh, and let's not forget the person laying in the road. Thank the Lord he didn't break his neck. But he wasn't moving. He could talk, but had to be carried off on a stretcher. And my poor brother in law - he literally almost got sick on the side of the road, and will likely feel the burden of this for a long time. And why? Because someone's lazy? That's unacceptable, people. Absolutely unacceptable. So love your dog. Love your neighbor. And save yourself the grief and possible lawsuit.
