A friend of mine sent me a text yesterday because she was in the same situation I had been in with the little girl and the lab at the vet’s office: she was facing a conundrum and she didn’t know what to do.

My friend, Jeni, was driving down Brand Road when she passed a car and saw something that horrified her. She said as she passed the car, she realized that the dog in the car was about to fall out the open window. She slowed down and looked in her rearview mirror and, sure enough, she saw the dog tumble out of the window and roll into the ditch by the side of the road.

Jeni, of course, stopped, panicked that the dog was dead or gravely injured. Four other cars also saw what happened and stopped, as well. Jeni jumped out of the car and ran over to see if the dog was okay. She said the dog was shaken, but before she could check on the dog any further, the man driving the car grabbed the dog and threw it back in the car. Jeni said he didn’t even look the dog over to see if it was okay or bleeding. Jeni told him he needed to get the dog to a vet and he told her to “Mind her f***ing business.”

As Jeni tried to decide what to do, the man began calling her every foul name he could think of. The dog, Jeni noticed, had a rope tied around its neck.

Jeni wrote down the license tag number of the car and called 9-1-1 as the man drove off. She reported what had happened and asked the dispatcher if someone would please stop by the man’s house and check on the dog. She sent me a text right after that because she was not sure if the police would go see about the dog. She wasn’t sure if that was something they were allowed to do or would have the time to do. She wanted my opinion on what she should do next.

I told her to try calling the Union County Humane Society to see if a humane agent would stop by and see if the dog was okay. So far, I haven’t heard back from Jeni to know how this story ended, but I feel very sad, too, wondering if that little dog was harmed. As I told Jeni, even at thirty-five miles per hour, a tumble from a car could cause a broken neck or a concussion that could lead to death if not treated.

A part of me wishes Jeni had just been able to snatch the dog up and take off with it. I know Jeni would have rushed it to a vet.

I always worry about dogs riding around in the backs of pick up trucks. It is just so easy to be in an accident or stop too suddenly and have the dog tumble on to the pavement.

Please keep this little dog in your thoughts. I doubt if the man took it to the vet and I only hope it is not suffering. If I hear any more from Jeni, I will keep everyone posted.

Here are some nice articles about keeping dogs safe when they do ride in cars: Sit, Stay, Ride Safely and Restrain your Dog