[Kristen Cabe]

...and it SO could have been prevented!

I was sitting here at work watching the traffic out the window (the boss is in meetings all day, so I pretty much have nothing to do), and I see this beagle-mix-looking dog trotting along down the sidewalk. Its owner was 10-15 feet or so behind it, walking the dog on one of those retractable leashes. Then I watch as it trots right off the sidewalk and into the road (which is a 4-lane busy highway - the speed limit is 35 but 50mph is the norm). Almost as soon as it does, a car hits it (and keeps going! :evil: ) and it starts this awful howling-screaming and runs, dragging its back legs, across to the other side of the road, where a lady walking on that sidewalk managed to get ahold of it. The impact jerked the leash out of its owner's hand (and it's a wonder it didn't jerk them out into the road, too!). A kind samaritan on that side of the road stopped her vehicle to help, and of course, that resulted in lots of horn-blowing from cars on that side of the road. The owner rushed across the street and the samaritan grabbed a towel out of the back of her vehicle to wrap the dog in so they could pick it up. I do believe both back legs were broken, but I don't think it was paralyzed because as it was running across the road, it looked like one of the back legs was trying to run, too. My office is right next to the administrative offices for the Humane Society, and a couple of the people from over there rushed over to help, and I think one of them actually took the dog and its owner to the vet.

What really ticks me off is the fact that the dog was being walked on a freaking retractable leash, on a 3ft wide sidewalk, next to a 4-lane busy highway with no curb to speak of (the sidewalk is maybe 2 inches above the surface of the road)! [-X ](*,) :x I mean, come on! How stupid do you have to be to let your dog walk 10 feet ahead of you in a situation like that? If the dog had been on a regular leash, or even if the retractable leash was kept short, this accident could have been prevented. I hope the dog's okay and the stupid idiot of an owner has learned something.

I can't tell you how many dogs I've seen being walked down this sidewalk on retractable leashes, and every time I have seen it, I've thought to myself, "It would be so easy for that dog to walk out in traffic and be hit," and now I've witnessed it happen.

 

[Connie Sutherland]

A very hard way to learn a lesson......... and hardest on the poor dog.

 

[Molly Graf]

terrible for the dog, owner definately learned a hard lesson - and poor you had to watch the whole thing. That kind of thing keeps flashing into your mind, it's hard to forget about witnessing a shocking thing like that. I know I watched a cat get hit (and killed) by a car, many many years ago, and it still comes to mind sometimes, as clear as if it just happened.

I've seen people walking down sidewalks, while their dog on a retractable leash is in the middle of the road. People are just SO stupid.

molly

 

[susan tuck]

Oh gosh, I sure hope the pup is ok. What a sad way to learn an important message. I'm sorry you had to see it.

 

[Elly Elsenaar]

That must be terrible for you to see something like that happen.

 

[Maren Bell Jones]

Kristen, mind if I cross post your story on another (more pet oriented) forum that I frequent? I have been meaning to post something about flexi leads for a while and your post inspired me to do so.

 

[susan tuck]

I actually ran over a friends' dog many years ago. I was backing out of my driveway, the dog was loose & small (keeshond mix). I didn't know she was out. I rushed the dog to the vet. She had to be put down. It was horrible. I think it is the worst thing I have ever done.

 

[Kristen Cabe]

No, I don't mind at all if you crosspost.

 

[Amber Scott Dyer]

If I were made president of the dog world, I swear, the first thing I'd do is outlaw retractable leashes. I always like to tell the story of the older lady a couple of years ago who had her dog on a flexi at the hospital and was standing at the reception counter to pay while the dog (I think it was a yorkie?) ran to the end of its 30 foot leash and was roaming the hallways. One of the client rooms must have had its door ajar a bit, because the little yorkie pushed his way in and promptly started a fight with the big dogs that were in the exam room. The owner of the yorkie, of course, is running down the halls screaming at the top of her lungs about dangerous animals and vet liability, blah blah blah. The yorkie was OK, despite the owner's stupidity - I really hope this is the case for the dog you saw.

 

[Kristen Cabe]

Oh my, Amber! I don't even know what to say about that story! Someone on another board told a story about a lady that had a little dog on a Flexi and got in an elevator, but the dog didn't quite make it to the elevator in time, and the doors closed, leaving the dog still on the outside. When it went up, the dog was hanged.

I think this dog should have lived, but I just hope there isn't nerve damage and they can repair his rear legs. I'm thinking of writing an editorial to the newspaper or something about all the morons that I see every day walking their dog down the sidewalk on a retractable leash, and how dangerous it can be.

I don't have anything against them really, but most of the people that use retractable leashes don't have a clue.

I have two of them that we use when we go to the lake that requires dogs to be leashed at all times, and when we go to the beach so the dogs can swim, and I also use one with Jessie when I take her out to potty, and for walks up and down our road, which is a dead-end side road with no traffic except for the 15 or so of us that live on it. I usually walk in the middle of the street and she runs all around me, but can't go over into peoples' yards. There's a field behind my aunt's house (which is 3 houses up from mine) that I will take her in to run around and act silly in too when I walk her. Using the retractable leash allows her to run around and use up some of her pent-up energy while keeping me in control (and not having to worry about a long line). Retractable leashes are NOT for walking on sidewalks beside busy roads, or downtown, or on the walking trail at the park, etc.


We should probably wrap this thread up now, before Jeff gets his panties in a wad about it. :twisted: :lol: