Menlo Park Couple Killed Walking Dog (Who Will Save the Dog?)

It's horrible when you hear about dumb ass drivers (alleged) who threaten and harm innocent people out taking walks or walking their dog.  A few months back I had heard of a driver who cut the corner while a couple was out walking their dog.  They had let their dog lead quite a distance ahead of them on their extendo leash.  The dog was killed.

In the latest terrible news, a Menlo Park couple was killed by an 'alleged' drunk driver who ran them over from behind, throwing them through the air, while the car then careened back across the center divider, hitting another car, then a tree.

This (alleged) asshole was determined to have been drinking and according to one paper, this driver had already had a DUI earlier, in November of 2012.  She was on probation.  Oh goody, that did the world of good.  (Oh, and there were people inside the car with the driver.  (They should be charged to, allowing this woman to drive.))

The couple were killed instantly (per estimates) and leave behind three teenage children.

Their dog, a Chihuahua, was also injured, but was picked up quickly for medical care by the Peninsula Humane Society.

Hopefully, the dog survives.

The Humane Society {http://www.peninsulahumanesociety.org/} wasn't open yet when I wrote this piece, but maybe some folks can help the grieving family by contacting the org and asking to donate to the dog's care.

Peninsula Humane Society
Address: 12 Airport Blvd, San Mateo, CA 94401
Phone:(650) 340-7022

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To be honest, it's a scary world we step out into every day.  We take our chances and TRUST that those around us won't kill us with their stupidity.  Sometimes, there's very little we can do.

But there are a couple of things we can try and practice to try and avoid these bu****it situations.

For One, Keep Your Dog on a Leash.

I see a few folks who tend to walk their dogs without leashes.  You know the story... "Fido won't go anywhere."

Of course not. 

And no one will ever get run over by a car on a sidewalk (90-yr-old pinned two 6-year-olds last week to a storefront wall here in MP.); No one will ever become a serial killer's victim; No one's dog will ever get oddly spooked and run away from them.

Ignorance is bliss, until the trauma sets in.

Most of these folks don't get it, the premise of what or how an animal can get spooked by the simplest of things.  I've seen it.  It's scary and sometimes tragic.  From a trash can they've walked by every day, to the simple sound of a child hitting a baseball, the weirdest of things can set off a dog's fear factor.  And it's not predictable.

"How far they run is just a function of how far their legs will carry them."

And when a dog spooks and runs, the worst spooked mode is the kind where fear controls their legs and they don't even hear you as they hit that fight or flight mode and charge to safety, where ever their primal instincts will take them.  (No, not the intelligent, "they know where it's safe" instinct. Just the need to run.)

In the UK alone, over a 5-year period, 2.5 million folks had lost a pet.

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Second, If on Leash, Reel the Pup in At Street Corners

Extendo leashes can be nice as it lets Fido roam left and right and all over the place.  But they have their inherent hazards.

In one case, being too far in front while crossing a street.

For another, some serious rope burn if you don't actively manage your leash's cord brake.

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Third, Walk Against Traffic

In this case, there were no sidewalks where the couple was walking and apparently it was on a corner.  And they walked this route every day with their dog.

Never get complacent.  It only takes one a-hole to ruin your day and your life.

Something I learned from running, was that one should always run against traffic.  This way, you see the raging mindless idiots doing stupid b*sh*t before they hit you.

Sure, it's rare.  But you can never let up.  Letting up lets them (the idiots) in.

Since it works for runners, maybe one should adopt walking against traffic too.

(What I mean by against traffic, is ON THE SIDEWALK, when provided, on the left side of the street.)

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The loss of life is horrible.  To lose it to stupidity leaves me speechless.  And then the innocent victims, our animals, have no control over anything and suffer alongside us, silently.  No one knows what goes on in their heads, but they do miss their people.  And they do know.  I've seen enough examples of unexplained sympathetic behavior and they're not "just animals."

We have a responsibility to them too, are furry family members.

So if anyone is interested, contact the Humane Society and see if there's anything we can do to help out with the little dog who survived this tragedy, and hence, help out the family who has suffered a tragic loss.

Peninsula Humane Society
Address: 12 Airport Blvd, San Mateo, CA 94401
Phone:(650) 340-7022

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