Keep your dogs on a leash, please.

[Trekker4747]

Last Saturday I'm pulling into my apartment complex and just turned into the road through the parking lot leading to my building when I hear a "WHAM!" to my right and behind me. I stop, look over my shoulder and from the corner of my eye see an animal running off.

Get out, some people are nearby saying the heard -but didn't see- the impact, but the conclusion everyone comes to is that a dog ran into the side of my car, then ran off. Shortly, a guy with a leash comes up, slightly out of breath, saying he heard the crash and was concerned about what happened. We explain there was an impact but the dog ran off.

Eventually he gets a hold of his wife back at their apartment and the, injured, dog had made it back there and they were going to prepare to rush it to the Vet-ER or whatever. Exchange info. Call the police as formality, nothing they can do private property. Sigh.

So, I'm naturally a little upset. The damage to my car was pretty extensive, good-sized dent in the passenger-side rear door and a dent in the frame under the door with a missing chip of paint. Got a hold of my insurance company, he got a hold of his, and though the final conclusion is pending it seems likely that his renter's insurance will accept liability given his dog struck my vehicle and it should have been on a leash when outside of the home.

When I spoke with the gentleman to exchange more information I did learn that dog, more-or-less, survived its ordeal with a compound-fracture to the leg.

Even though insurance will cover this, and his insurance will even provide a rental car if I opt to get one, it's still a hassle and sort of disappointing considering it's still a new car. It's not even a year old and only has 3,800 miles on it.

Repair estimates are around $1,800 but could be higher if removing the body panel from the door reveals structural damage to the door's frame.

Sigh. So keep your dogs chained up and on a leash when out of the home, if only for your dog's safety. I've no idea what happened here or how the dog ran into my car. It was daylight and the dog ran right into me. I wonder if in a moment of gloating arrogance he looked back over his shoulder to see the ground he was gaining over his owner and then WHAM!

Vent. Over.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

Aw, I feel bad for both of you. Totally agree, dogs should not be allowed to run loose! However, they sometimes escape -- even generally well-behaved dogs with responsible owners.

 

[sojourner]

Wow, How big/fast was the dog? That's a lot of damage.

 

[Catarina]

one, glad you both are okay. two, I was in a hit and run with my new car, so i get the anger. three, escapes happen. my pomeranian puppy got loose and almost got creamed. the young driver had awesome break reflexes.

 

[Trekker4747]

Wow, How big/fast was the dog? That's a lot of damage.

Judging from the side-of-my-eye glance I saw of it it was a pretty good-sized dog. An average-sized one? Not a toy-poodle, not one of those giant dogs that are basically a horse? Maybe 40-50 lbs? He must have been running at full throttle considering the damage. I'm actually surprised he didn't hurt himself more but I guess the "luck" there is he, essentially, crashed into a metal wall as opposed to being struck by a moving vehicle where the injury could have been much, much worse.

If I was less than a second behind myself I likely would have hit him. Less than a second faster he would have ran behind me.

Look where you're going, dog!

But, I am glad the dog is okay. I just wonder how it got away from the owner. He had a leash with him, did he let the dog off the leash while walking him? Did he take the dog for a walk without putting it on the leash and just brought a long in case he needed it? Did he open his front door preparing to go outside, restraining the dog by the collar and he just slipped and the dog got away before he could clip on the leash?

Crazy stuff. But the guy was stand-up enough to give me his info and to contact his insurance. At first I wasn't sure what insurance of his would cover it. It's not like auto insurance would -he's not in a car-, you don't have "dog insurance" and I didn't think renter's insurance would cover it because, why would it? But apparently it did and does. I know you have to have a rider here if you have a pet but for any damages the pet may do to the property. Guess it covers any other damages your pet may cause to other people's property.

Was worried I'd have to pay my deductible and then either me or my insurance company would have to go to him for reimbursement. Because, logically, I shouldn't have to pay anything since it was his dog that was at fault. Hell, even if I *did* hit the dog it'd be his fault since the dog should always be on a leash outside the home. But in such a circumstance I could see being, partly, responsible.

And, man, the damage estimate shocked me and it was a conservative one. $1,800 and four or five days in the shop to repair/replace a door and repair the damage to the frame and then to repaint.

Amazing.

 

[Kirby]

Last Saturday I'm pulling into my apartment complex and just turned into the road through the parking lot leading to my building when I hear a "WHAM!" to my right and behind me. I stop, look over my shoulder and from the corner of my eye see an animal running off.

I had almost the exact same thing happen to me a couple of years ago. Mine was at night, and the dog came charging out of a field. Fortunately there was no damage to the car, but I was worried about the dog. The car behind me pulled over too, and we spent about 15 minutes looking for it, we did find it, and he seemed just fine. Fortunately it had a tag, and I was able to get him back home; when I explained what happened to the owner, she said that he got out a lot, and she didn't seem too concerned about it. That drives me crazy.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

I hit a small deer with one of my cars and only had a little crack in the plastic grill. I was going about 40 and the deer spun off into the brush and ran away.

Must've been a hell of a dog.

 

[Kestra]

You don't even know if the owner generally uses a leash and you still made this thread title? I get that this sucks and I'd feel awful if this happened to me. You just come across with very little compassion here. It's not like someone who cares about their dog never uses a leash and is going to read this and suddenly go "You know, he's right. I should put a leash on my dog."

 

[Robert Maxwell]

You seem more worried about your car than the living creature involved. I mean, whatever, it didn't die, but your opening post just comes off so callous. What if it had been a kid, instead?

 

[hux]

Why am I supposed to give a shit about your car being damaged, again?

Hope the dog was alright.

 

[Timby]

Wow, How big/fast was the dog? That's a lot of damage.

My dog is a hound-terrier mix, about 65 pounds or so, and when she's running at full speed I could easily see her hitting with enough impact to cause a fair amount of damage to a car. She clobbers my mom's Labradoodle, who's easily twice her size, without breaking stride.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

I am glad the dog is okay.

I did learn that dog, more-or-less, survived its ordeal with a compound-fracture to the leg.

 

[Trekker4747]

"Okay" as-in it didn't suffer a life-threatening injury or die. A compound fracture to the leg I'd consider okay compared to "massive cranial trauma from running, full speed, into a metal wall."

Getting out of my car, my first concern was indeed over the dog. I didn't even notice the damage to my car until several minutes later when the owner had confirmed the dog had gotten back to his place with the broken leg and they needed to rush it to the vet. After that moment the dog was no longer my concern and my concern became about my still pretty much brand-new car with the massive dent in it and the hassle and logistics involved with getting it repaired.

A day or two later when the owner called me to confirm insurance information I asked, out of genuine concern, what the status of the dog was because I did, really, care. But I also care about my property I'm still paying for.

Still, I see it often with dogs out without being on a leash many times on the walking path/trail around the complex with the owners walking/standing nearby, presumably assuming the animal will stick near them. It's one thing to do this in a park or walking/bike path where there's little to no danger of the dog getting away and into a roadway; it's something else entire on this complex walking path where the animal is pretty much always going to be a couple hundred feet away from a roadway.

It just strikes me as irresponsible to not keep the dog restrained.

 

[Timby]

It just strikes me as irresponsible to not keep the dog restrained.

This is the thing, though. You're assuming the dog wasn't restrained. Who's to say that the dog didn't break free of its leash? That happened with my Mom's dog a while back; she was walking him, his collar was frayed and he took off, snapping the collar.

I don't get the point of assuming that everyone else is an asshole and you're the sane person in an insane world.

 

[Kestra]

Your post just came across as a bit self-absorbed and callous, Trekker. I brought it up originally not to make fun of you or anything, but to let you know how you might come across to other people.

I had the scare of my life one day when one of my sister's dogs bolted out our front door, down the driveway, and across the street. Nothing happened to her at the time, but I will never forget how it felt.

 

[Leviathan]

Hate it when they get off the leash.

 

[mimic]

There are people who have trained their dogs to heel off-leash, you know. They have just as much vocal control as anyone has with a 6-foot leash. But yes, your average dog with the average trainer should be kept on a leash.

We both got new cars around the same time. I've put 10K on mine already.

 

[Finn]

It just strikes me as irresponsible to not keep the dog restrained.

This is the thing, though. You're assuming the dog wasn't restrained. Who's to say that the dog didn't break free of its leash? That happened with my Mom's dog a while back; she was walking him, his collar was frayed and he took off, snapping the collar.

I don't get the point of assuming that everyone else is an asshole and you're the sane person in an insane world.

Yes. I had a coworker who had to leave work because the local ASPCA picked up her dog. It appears someone opened the gate to her backyard and allowed the dog to walk out.


Also, consider the possiblity that there was a visitor at a home who weren't accustomed to living with pets. It may not occur to them that it might be a bad idea to leave the door open and unattended for a couple of minutes. My dog once wandered out when my mother in-law visited and left the door open for a moment.

 

[Kor]

Last Saturday I'm pulling into my apartment complex and just turned into the road through the parking lot leading to my building when I hear a "WHAM!" to my right and behind me. I stop, look over my shoulder and from the corner of my eye see an animal running off.

I had almost the exact same thing happen to me a couple of years ago. Mine was at night, and the dog came charging out of a field. Fortunately there was no damage to the car, but I was worried about the dog. The car behind me pulled over too, and we spent about 15 minutes looking for it, we did find it, and he seemed just fine. Fortunately it had a tag, and I was able to get him back home; when I explained what happened to the owner, she said that he got out a lot, and she didn't seem too concerned about it. That drives me crazy.

Something similar happened to a buddy of mine when he was driving at normal speed through a residential neighborhood. A dog suddenly bolted out of someone's yard. My friend slowed way down when he saw it, but the dog kept coming and bashed straight into the side of his car, then ran off.

Then the dog's owner came outside in a big tizzy, blaming the driver and yelling "You hit my dog!"

Kor

 

[Karzak]

Drivers on a residential street (and, really, any street) are by law expected to be mindful of all their surroundings. It
s called "defensive driving." Why didn't your buddy just stop his car until the dog was gone?