Life Can Change In An Instant

It was less than 24 hours ago that my 98 year old dog park friend, Paul, lost his dog to a hit and run driver.  I am still reeling from the sight of Tiger, his 8 year old bichon, lying in the crosswalk, just steps from the dog park.  Paul was almost hit too, as the car hit and mangled his walker.

I usually go to the dog park from 4-5 pm each day, but not yesterday.  I was at a meeting in the village, just a few blocks from the park.  We finished up around 5:30pm, and I started to drive home.  As I drove down Leisure Village Drive, I noticed blinking yellow lights near the crosswalk by the park.  This is not normal, so I slowed down to see what was happening.  To my horror, I saw Tiger lying dead in the street, and Paul, just a few feet away, just standing there, in shock.  I also saw someone from the Community Patrol unit, and one or two dog park friends.  I knew there was enough help to handle the situation, so I drove home.

I was sobbing after viewing this horrific sight, and hardly slept a wink last night.  I was thinking of how the loss of his dog, his best friend and constant companion, is going to effect Paul.  After all, at age 98, it doesn't take much to put one into a downward spiral.  Today we are meeting at the dog park to talk about how we can get Paul through this tragedy.  Lots of suggestions are being bantered about.  My suggestion is that he get another dog right away, an older dog, maybe 10-12 years old.  He'd be saving an older dog from possible euthanasia  and he would have someone new to care for.  We'll see what the group thinks will help most.

The biggest takeaway from this is DO NOT USE RETRACTABLE LEASHES.  They are outlawed in many cities.  With a retractable leash the dog can walk as much as 6-10 feet in front of you, and if a car comes out of nowhere, you have no control over the dog.  This is possibly what happened to Paul and Tiger.  Paul liked the retractable leash, and Tiger could have been 6 feet in front of him.  If a car came, Paul could not pull Tiger back.  That is likely what happened.  In any event, a hit and run driver killed a dog in a crosswalk, and simply drove off.  What kind of person would do that?