This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.

A Plea to Drivers

We had just pulled into our driveway on Route 153, my wife and I and our eight-month-old puppy.

As we exited the car, I decided to take the dog for a walk since she was already wearing her leash. It was dark and cars were zooming by us. I was wearing a black jacket, had no flashlight, and the dog’s harness was in the closet. We finished the walk uneventfully. While we were waiting to cross 153 again, the dog panicked, slipped out of her collar, and bolted across the road. Somehow she made it safely to the other side. I yelled at her to stay, but instead she ran toward me into oncoming traffic and was struck by a car and died instantly. It appeared the driver failed to realize what had happened since the car didn’t slow down, continuing onward.

Instead of blaming myself for making some bad decisions on the spur of the moment, I’d like to make a plea to all drivers on behalf of all those people with dogs who reside along 153: Please obey the posted speed limits. Our lives, as well as those of our precious pets, are in the drivers’ hands when we pull out of our driveways, walk alongside the road to our mailboxes, or patiently before attempting to cross it.

Stan Deitz

Essex