Ugh.
First off, I live in the sticks. We all let our dogs run loose out here. So I don’t really blame the owner.
Also, I have a driveway that is just short of 1/2 mile long. Part of it runs along the property line w/ my neighbor. There is barb wire fence on both sides of my driveway. Keeps cows in on my side & demarcs his “back yard” on the other side.
Coming home from getting a few groceries, puttering up the driveway at about 20-25mph, maybe less.
This dog, pretty little Aussie Sheppard, shoots under the barb wire fence from their “yard” and runs right under the right rear wheel of my F250.
Well, shit.
Yes, the dog nearly ALWAYS chased my truck along this part of my driveway. And yes, the neighbors have seen him chase my truck. The dog just made a terminal miscalculation this time.

I called the neighbor. He came out and we chatted. Said our “sorry”’s and “no hard feelings”’s. Then I handed him the dog over the fence.

I’ve hit other dogs and animals. And I’ve lost dogs to traffic. Still puts a damper on the evening.

Damn, that sucks. Sounds like you handled it well, as did your neighbor.

A life is a life if it's something you care about.

That sucks, sorry to hear that.

Sorry man. Clearly you didn't do anything wrong.

Try to keep your chin up, things happen in life, sometimes good, sometimes bad. We just gotta roll with them....

I ran over a neighbors dog about 10 years ago, a cute Beagle. Neighbor was pushing a baby stroller with one hand and talking on a cell phone with the other. No leash on the dog and it ran right out in front of my car. Nothing I could do. I still get pissed off every time I think about it. Helped her load the dog up into her truck so she could take it to the vet. Later found out the vet had to euthanize it. I still remember it looking up at me with pain in its eyes sitting in the middle of the road because it couldn’t walk.

Sorry it happened to you, too.

Sorry that you had to go through that.

With that, I have never and will likely not, understand letting dogs "run" in such an environment.

Hunting dogs (coon hounds and the like) are let go but under controlled conditions and training. And some will still be casualties but understood as part of that existence.

"Domesticated/pets" on the other hand, often lose the ability to "self preserve", or lack the training to avoid dangerous (unnatural) threats, and for that reason, owners need to fill the things lacking to keep such critters from becoming another "bad day" for the owner, and the person on the other side of that equation.

Not intended to minimize the loss or anguish you have felt, just my thoughts once again brought to the forefront from the events you related.

a few years back I had a neighbor with 4 dogs that would chase every car down the road. They lived half way down our lane. The big dogs would sit in the center of the road, and the 3 little squeaker toy dogs would circle the vehicles as they drove slowly down the road.

Well. I hit the pug. rear tire. spent two hours helping their son find the dog. He lived.

The dad told me not to worry about hitting it, it was the 3rd time he had been run over.

He clearly had not learned the lesson according to the owner.

We are so happy they moved.

In my brief career as a PI, I had to travel across the country to put someone under surveillance. As luck would have it, my rental car was a plain white Crown Victoria. Same thing the local cops drove.
And my only spot to watch the subject was in a very tight knit small neighborhood. I stuck out like a sore thumb, so much so that the neighbors began to introduce themselves and bring me food and drink. This all came to a head when I was entering the neighborhood for a shift.... And one of the locals dogs ran out in front of me and I hit it. The dog began yelping and all the residents came outside. I found the owner and offered to pay the vet bill. Fortunately, the dog was not injured seriously but the whole thing made me sick. And I thought the entire surveillance was blown by the commotion. Nope. My person of interest was clueless and I got what I needed to satisfy my client. Weirdest stakeout I was ever on! And the dog was OK.

Ah geez. I’m so sorry. Aussie’s are usually such smart dogs.
I’m pretty sure my dogs would be tire chasers, too, if I didn’t fence them up.

Somebody hit a beagle some years back on our road - it brought me running from my yard with its screams. It’s gums were turning grey before the owners pulled up in their car to rush it to the vet (it pushed through the door when the car went by)- owners were super cautious with it and had leash walked it every day. No ones fault. They got a retriever after that.

Now I'm sad.

Why did I open this thread?

I'm sorry this happened.

That always sucks to hit an animal. They were just doing what they do. But it would REALLY suck to hit your own pet.

Several years ago my cousin was leaving for work. His old deaf dachshund was behind his truck. Didn't end well.

There was a median in the street I lived on as a kid. We would put up Christmas trees all down the it for several blocks. One year before putting up the trees a neighbor as usual mowed the median. Apparently my friends deaf 3 legged chihuahua had found a nice place to nap in the tall grass and the mower found the chihuahua. That was particularly disturbing and 40+ years later my friend still has nightmares about it.

I'm sorry, that really sucks. Out of ones control, but I'm sure it hurts. Try to not let it bother you too much.

Sorry you went thru that. It happened to me once along a popular 2-way thoroughfare at night, no time to react, just came out of some thick pine lands. Immediately pulled over with my girlfriend in the car and searched but no sign of him. To this day I'm haunted by that thump sound and the yelp, it really got to me, the girlfriend started crying being a big animal lover.

I've seen people hit animals and not even flinch, no brakes, nothing. Good on you for caring.

Like Jager said, Why did I open this one? I knew when I read the title....

I hate killing anything and dogs are just about my favorite living creature. You are handling this much better than I would, whether I was the owner or the one who ran over the dog.

We've been pretty strict about dogs running loose in Florida, at least most places, and I am sure glad. The days are simply long gone when one could let their dog out to run loose, at least in our overpopulated part of Paradise.

I'm sorry you had this bad experience.

Bob

I've lived in giant cities and now in a very rural "tiny town". It's pretty amazing the difference location has on this type of accident. They take loss of life very differently. The rural people get disturbed and distraught , but I've seen city folk pass out, take a week off work and make very irrational decessions . Sorry that happened to all involved