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the good people in the world...
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 2005-05-14 8:19 AM |
molto veloce mama  9311   |  Subject: the good people in the world...yesterday when we were driving home from some errands, we saw a beautiful golden retriever run out into traffic. a black truck hit it full force. we expected the driver to stop...but he didn't, he kept driving, didn't even slow down, speeding along with the dog trapped beneath. the dog was tossed around until, somehow, he slid out the back, and miraculously, ran off into a yard close by. i wanted to stop, but there were several folks on foot, out of their cars, who got to the dog right away to make sure he was okay. the driver who hit the dog kept driving, stopped at a red light, then kept on going. he might have not realized he hit a dog, but i have a hard time he was oblivious to the fact that he had hit something. it could have been a child. he didn't even stop to check. this broke my heart. the dog seemed to be okay, but the fact that this person couldn't be bothered to stop, that broke my heart. are we so callous and in such a hurry that we've lost all respect for living creatures, including other humans beings? i thought of ellie's friend, of the local cop who was recently shot to death after asking someone to stop peeing on the side of a building, of so many heart breaking situations... i didn't post about this yesterday, because i was still so upset, ready to pack out bags and leave for the woods forever (yea, i was that upset). the solace i found was in thinking of the people who stopped, ran after the dog to make sure it was okay; the people like me who stopped and watched and didn't leave until it was obvious that there were many folks with the dog; my daughter, who saw some of what happened from the back seat, cried and declared the driver 'a big idiot!'; and knowing i had people i could call (my mom, my best friend) who would understand my feelings and would feel equally pained, and knowing i could post here and people would understand. so, thank you for being some of the many GOOD people in the world...and thanks for letting me get this off my chest. Edited by autumn 2005-05-14 8:20 AM |
| 2005-05-14 10:45 AM in reply to: #157514 |
Veteran 294  MO | Subject: RE: the good people in the world... That is absolutely horrible. There is no punishment in the world terrible enough for a person like that. I was driving home from work a few months ago and the guy in front of me hit a black lab right next to the curb -- he was speeding, and it looked like he clipped the dog's hindquarters. The dog flipped over and then dragged itself up onto the curb and somehow managed to limp away. By the time I'd turned around and gotten back to the spot where it happened, he was gone -- I looked for him for half an hour but didn't find him; which made me glad because if he could get that far away that fast maybe he wasn't hurt that badly. But the guy who hit him didn't even slow down. Not even a flash of brake lights while he glanced in his rearview mirror. Thank god that golden retriever survived -- that is my worst fear on earth, that one of my dogs will get hit by a car. I try to teach them things like stopping at street corners until I tell them to go, and sitting at the door until they're told to go outside so they won't dart out and go into the street, and coming immediately when I call them, all as precautions should they ever somehow get off leash. But dogs don't understand about cars, and I'm sure this is just not enough. |
| 2005-05-14 10:51 AM in reply to: #157514 |
| Regular 259 Hamilton | Subject: not a lot of them left but.. it's the ones that do the right thing at the right time that make up for everyone else on the planet that has grown a skin so thick that nothing outside their world matters anymore. I too wonder sometimes how some people can stand by and watch horrible thing happen and not have an ounce of heart to do something about it. Especially ones who are very capable of doing something about it. While I can't do everything for everyone I can do something for someone and not doing so makes me less of a human imho. Thank you autumn..not only for posting this thread and doing your part in keeping the scales in balance but also for not running off into the woods and leaving the world with one less good person. Every time I do something that I figure others wouldn't...and I get screwed over for it I say never again...and remember if I don't do it maybe no one will...I refuse to let them win. Thankfully you're there when I can't be and it gives me all the more reason to keep up the good fight. Hopefully knowing there are others of like mind will give you hope to do the same. cheers Kent |
| 2005-05-14 12:01 PM in reply to: #157514 |
Pro 4206 Los Angeles, CA | Subject: RE: the good people in the world... Tell you the truth, I would have gotten the license plate and gave it to the owner of the dog so that they can sue the car owner for the dog injuries. But yea, I agree, there are some callous people out in this world. |
| 2005-05-14 2:35 PM in reply to: #157555 |
molto veloce mama 9311 | Subject: RE: the good people in the world... once we saw that the dog was (seemingly) alright and that there were people with the dog, my husband tried to catch up to the guy. he wanted to give him a piece of his mind, but i wanted the plate number. it happened so fast and was so horrid, that i didn't think of it until afterwards. we had our two little ones in the car though, so neither of us wanted to turn it into a chase. we could see the car a couple blocks up ahead of us, but never got close enough to get a plate number. and one possibility is that he left the scene because he was worried about a lawsuit...not a good reason to leave, in my opinion. more than likely, he just didn't care, which is even worse. |
| 2005-05-14 3:18 PM in reply to: #157579 |
Pro 4206 Los Angeles, CA | Subject: RE: the good people in the world... Well, since you wrote this and I just thought to myself, maybe in the heat of the moment, I probably would have taken the 'beat down' mentality like your husband - must be a guy thing  , and probably would not have thought about the lincense plate until too late  autumn - 2005-05-14 11:35 AM once we saw that the dog was (seemingly) alright and that there were people with the dog, my husband tried to catch up to the guy. he wanted to give him a piece of his mind, but i wanted the plate number. it happened so fast and was so horrid, that i didn't think of it until afterwards. we had our two little ones in the car though, so neither of us wanted to turn it into a chase. we could see the car a couple blocks up ahead of us, but never got close enough to get a plate number. and one possibility is that he left the scene because he was worried about a lawsuit...not a good reason to leave, in my opinion. more than likely, he just didn't care, which is even worse. Edited by auto208562 2005-05-14 3:20 PM |
| 2005-05-14 7:58 PM in reply to: #157514 |
Elite 2777 In my bunk with new shoes and purple sweats. | Subject: RE: the good people in the world... So where was the dog's owner and why was his dog in the street? More than enough blame to pass around. The only victim was the poor dog. Whether it's dogs in the street or kids in the street it's always a matter of irresponsibility. |
| 2005-05-14 11:56 PM in reply to: #157651 |
| Veteran 294 MO | Subject: RE: the good people in the world... I don't know.........even a very slow dog can easily outrun a human. I take every precaution I can possibly think of to keep my dogs from ever getting loose, and I'm still afraid that some freak accident will occur someday and one of them will get out and get hurt. :-( I don't think a dog getting loose is necessarily due to lack of responsibility, although I agree that people who let their dogs run loose around traffic should be SHOT. The owner might have been frantically driving around looking for their lost dog. Edited by Angie 2005-05-14 11:56 PM |
| 2005-05-15 12:08 AM in reply to: #157514 |
Expert 713 WV | Subject: RE: the good people in the world... I am glad there are people in the world who are concerned for the well-being of others, whether human or animal. I have always felt there are no bad dogs just bad owners. I can't believe of the insensitivity of people sometimes. |
| 2005-05-15 1:27 PM in reply to: #157514 |
Veteran 166 Denver, CO | Subject: RE: the good people in the world... sometimes i just think all people suck. not only for what they are ok with doing to animals, but to other people. i know it's more complicated than that, and that when someone is abused in their life it changes the way that they feel feelings, making them more likely to abuse someone else. but, someone had to start it. and finding people to help stop it is so hard. so, I want to to say kudos to all of you who care! i feel fortunate to know so many good people who do good things in the world. it helps me stay positive. and it's a pleasure to "know" you all. i have to say that it seems that everyone that i've met on this site is just one of those good people in the world. so, I guess I'm saying thanks. |
| 2005-05-16 11:21 AM in reply to: #157514 |
Pro 5153 Helena, MT | Subject: RE: the good people in the world... Well, that just made my eyes water up. How absolutely horrible. All dogs ever do is be dogs and love us and how horribly they are treated by so many. Thank God for the people who love every creature and stopped to help. My family's dog, Simon, was in a similar accident. He got out of the yard and ran off once and was hit by a car on the highway. They smashed both his back legs, but he lived and just couldn't get away from the side of the road. Whoever hit him drove on and a good samaritan took him to the nearest vet and called us. How horrible to hit someone's beloved pet and just run off..... |
| 2005-05-18 1:16 AM in reply to: #157514 |
Champion 6285 Beautiful Sonoma County | Subject: RE: the good people in the world... A happy story to balance the scales... At Wildflower, after my friend's race on Sat, we were headed back to our RV when a woman walked up with the most adorable little brown puppy on a leash and asked if it was our dog. It seems she found the puppy wandering around the campsite, lost. It so nice of her to take the time to go around asking everyone she could find whether they had lost their puppy. Things happen. Sometimes dogs, being animals, get out or away from their owners. Sometimes people, who I still believe are doing the best they are able at the time, don't have it in them to take care of their animals. And, sometimes, sad as it is, some people are just incapable of meeting a minimum level of compassion or humanity. It doesn't excuse their behavior. And it doesn't mean that when caught they shouldn't be "punished" for their behavior. But, at least for me, it helps me understand WHY. |
| 2005-05-18 4:04 PM in reply to: #157514 |
| Elite Veteran 1817 Cedar Rapids, Iowa | Subject: RE: the good people in the world... One of my favorite quotes is from Gandhi, who said: "It ill becomes us to invoke in our daily prayers the blessings of God, the Compassionate, if we in turn will not practice elementary compassion towards our fellow creatures". I'm more of a Karma girl, myself, but I always figure that the when the time comes when these people ask for some compassion from the Universe, the answer will be a resounding NO. |
| 2005-05-18 4:24 PM in reply to: #159697 |
Champion 6285 Beautiful Sonoma County | Subject: RE: the good people in the world... Tania - 2005-05-18 1:04 PM One of my favorite quotes is from Gandhi, who said: "It ill becomes us to invoke in our daily prayers the blessings of God, the Compassionate, if we in turn will not practice elementary compassion towards our fellow creatures". I'm more of a Karma girl, myself, but I always figure that the when the time comes when these people ask for some compassion from the Universe, the answer will be a resounding NO. And sometimes I believe that these people may have already been denied basic compassion, and thus do not know how, or are unwilling/unable to show it to others. Again, I am not excusing their behavior. But, in addition to believing in a form of karma and in practicing compassion, I also believe in mercy. I would not dare to condem "these" people for fear that I may find myself among the guilty, if not for the grace of God. |
| 2005-05-18 4:38 PM in reply to: #159708 |
| Elite Veteran 1817 Cedar Rapids, Iowa | Subject: RE: the good people in the world... I'm not worried. |
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