I'm still kind of in shock. I've lost pets before, but never saw an animal get killed by a malicious act. A bit of backstory:
My brother and I were driving on the feeder of the highway, and we saw a gorgeous little brown dachshund trotting on the side of the road. There was a pickup truck between us and the dog, and we were trying to pull over to get her so she didn't get hit. After about five or six seconds of following the dog, just watching it, the truck just swerved and ran her over, very obviously on purpose.
I wish I had thought to get the fucker's plates, but it looked like the tire just barely bumped the dog. It went down but seemed okay at first, so my brother and I immediately stopped the car and rushed out to see if it was okay. The dog was panting and her bottom legs were clearly limp, but she seemed responsive, so we checked for a tag [none, unfortunately] and tried to find the closest vet. While I was calling the vet to let them know we were coming and my brother was trying to find a way to safely pick up the dog, we noticed her lower half was -really- twisted. The hit had completely broken her back, with her lower legs pretty much facing the opposite way of the front legs.
Within about a minute of the dog getting hit, it was pretty obvious she wasn't going to survive. She started foaming at the mouth and laid down, and her heart started beating really fast, then slowed to a stop in about a span of ten seconds. Realizing she was gonna be gone before we even could get her into the car, we just stroked her and tried to make sure she knew she wasn't alone until she stopped breathing.
Around that time I pretty much lost it. The truck had stopped briefly maybe 200-300 yards ahead, too far to make out their tags but close enough to recognize. I started running after them but they bolted, and I spent a couple minutes pretty much screaming and threatening them at the top of my lungs. Honestly I went a bit berserk at that point. Kicked, threw some stuff, just -- wished I could catch them, make them pay for it. It was pure rage at that point, the kind I haven't felt in years. I should probably be glad they left, otherwise I'd probably be in jail right now.
Once it passed, we tried to find a number for the local SPCA but we were still parked on a feeder road and had a couple close calls almost getting hit ourselves. We went to the closest houses on a nearby street trying to see if the dog belonged to any of them, but none of them said she sounded familiar.
Went back and sat down beside her for a few minutes. I'm an atheist, but -- I prayed for her, for some reason. It just seemed like all I could do. I told her she was beautiful and wonderful and that I hoped she was somewhere better, and that I'd do everything I could to make my dog as happy as possible for her. Finally left once traffic started picking up again and we got her somewhere she wouldn't get hit. I didn't even know what town we were in, let alone the street, so it was a bit difficult to figure out the right thing to do when no one could ID the dog.
From the moment the dog got hit to the time she passed, I had a sinking feeling and shock I haven't felt before. I've lost pets, some to natural causes, some to accidents. But I've never watched an innocent creature die, and it struck me a lot. Truth be told, I'm not sure why I'm even making this thread beyond the fact that I just think people need to know this dog existed, that she was a gorgeous little animal who I hope lived a good life and wasn't in any pain.
I have a lot of regrets about what happened. I wish I'd had the presence of mind to take a picture of their truck, I wish I'd managed to get their plate, I wish I'd known who to call immediately for the dog's sake. But I was just in shock like I haven't really ever been before, and all I could think to do once I realized she wasn't going to make it was try to be there for her.
Please be kind to animals, whether or not they're your pets.
