Death of an Abandoned Dog

Azimuth · #1 ● 10-09-2011, 06:48 PM

[ I wasn't sure where to put this, but I want as many people as possible to read it.~azimuth it was in the courier mail opinion section oct. 6 2011 ]

TO THE driver of the sedan: I thought you might be interested to know the outcome of your actions at 7pm last Sunday.

Needless to say, while you thought what you were doing affected only you and your dog, the after-effects continue to reverberate in waves of sadness, grief and shock for many of us.

My learner-driver daughter saw you push your dog from your car, pulled over on the side of Eumundi-Noosa Road. You probably thought no one would notice. I only wish I had thought to notice more and take down your licence details.

But we all saw you pull out in front of us without indicating and leave your bewildered, frightened dog in the half light in an unfamiliar place.

It was at my 17-year-old daughter's request that we turned around a moment later, to see if we could help your dog, to keep him safe, to let him know not all humans are as cold and heartless as you had just shown yourself to be.

We pulled to the side of the road near your frantic pet.

My husband, daughter and I all got out of the car, torch in hand, calling to your terrified, beautiful dog as it weaved and ran in the direction that your tail lights had taken. A dog's love is as unconditional as it is sometimes misplaced, it seems.

My daughter and husband were right there when your dog ran in front of a car, driven by a young man.

He became another unwilling victim of your dreadful act.

My animal-loving daughter's heart broke as she heard two bangs and a whimper - the sounds of your dog's death.

She will never forget that and I know that a part of her will never be the same.

Are you starting to see the ripple effect now?

Can you see that your decision to dump a living creature on the side of the road hurt more than just him?

I can't pretend to know what would make a person do something so cruel as to dump a pet.

Maybe your dog was too demanding or too much responsibility. Maybe you just got sick of him.

But to leave him alone in the dark, in a strange place where cars fly by at 80km/h, is inhuman, illogical and callous. It could only have ended in tears.

We didn't know your healthy-looking, beautiful dog. But we are traumatised at his loss. My daughter and I have cried buckets for this creature and the way he died.

I witnessed the five minutes he lived after you drove away. I saw him running, scared. I arrived as he lay dying on the roadside and I was with him, patting him, as he died.

That he did not die alone is small consolation. At the end, at least he knew the love of a caring human's touch.

My husband's hands were covered in your beautiful dog's blood as he carried him off the road so that at least he would not suffer the indignity of being hit by more cars and so more drivers would not be traumatised by running over his corpse.

The young man whose car hit your dog was shattered. Unlike you, he had no choice in the situation in which he was placed. He said he had two border collies at home and his emotional distress at taking a life so similar to his beloved pets was palpable.

Another young driver pulled over to see if he could help. He was with your dog, too, when he breathed his last. He was kind to him, there in the dark. He was supportive and tender.

The kindness of these two men is a silent reminder that for every person like you, there are more like them.

Are you getting it? Do you see how much trauma dumping your sentient, human-centred possession caused?

Humans have an extraordinary relationship with dogs - closer than with any other animal. But while we "own" them, they are not like other things we own.

The rule is that they must be loved. They must be cared for. You can't just throw them out, like a fast food wrapper from your car window. You broke that rule and we all paid.

If you really had to dispose of your pet, you could have waited until the morning, when the RSPCA shelter just up the road was open. At least they could have had the chance to try to find him a new home. At least they could have offered him some care and affection. At least he might have had a chance to live.

Maybe you did not deserve to have such a beautiful dog in the first place, but he certainly did not deserve what you did to him.

I have to wonder which one is more of an animal.

collaredgirl65 · #2 ● 10-09-2011, 06:57 PM

This makes me so mad, but also so very sad. I just don't understand it, how people can be so heartless and cold toward another living creature.

It made my heart break just reading about it. I can't image how it felt to see and experience this first hand.

rafaelfy · #3 ● 10-09-2011, 09:33 PM

what if the owner wasn't the one who disposed it? that someone trying to get back to him/her. or what if he really need to do that because the dog might end up worse?

we shall not judge immediately. Let's just say "to whoever left the dog....."

RHtonyflowCP · #4 ● 10-09-2011, 10:18 PM

I hate seeing dogs get hurt and even worse, killed. That person will probably get a bottle chucked at his head or something in future.

Nite · #5 ● 10-09-2011, 11:48 PM

DiamondSmiles · #6 ● 10-10-2011, 01:19 AM

I feel for your daughter. Some people are incapable of loving and feeling for anything, even themselves. The person was probably a miserable, hateful individual who would have done the world a favor killing himself instead of a defenseless. You're right. Who is the animal here?