Sad Day

I'm sorry your son's pup was hit and killed.
At that young of an age the pup really should not have been outside left unattended to be honest with you.
It is always hard when you live too close to a busy street when you have critters. Maybe you can find an alternative for your son to have a pet inside the home until you guys can move some place where there is more room to roam and no heavy traffic.
Give your son a big hug from me and let him know his puppy is in heaven.
 

I too am very sorry for the loss of this little life.  But, I do agree, this pup should NOT have been outside alone.  If you MUST have an outside dog, then you have to provide a fenced and secure area to keep it safe.  I personally don't understand the concept of outside dogs, but then, I guess not everyone wants to step around six german shepherds to get to the coffee pot....

Last year I was witness and actually part of an accident that killed a little puppy down our street. We were walking Bubblegum around the block and a puppy from across a street saw us and came barking at us. This is a street that is not at all busy. But just then a girl who I know, turned the corner in her car (this was a corner house that the dog lived in) and was looking at me and waving as she was riding by, and at the same time the puppy decided to come across. It was so sad and I couldn't get it out of my head, the puppy layed there in the street (it was not bleeding or anything) I had my hands on its little body trying to comfort it while another person got a blanket and the driver who never even saw the dog until after,  stood there screaming and crying at the top of her lungs.  The owner of the dog and their daughter ran over right away also.  It was a horrible sad day for us all to be sure.  The puppy should not have been outside by himself. 
I am sorry for you and your son also, I was sorry for the people that lost their pup trying to get to my dog,  but it is a long hard lesson.  Outside OR inside dogs have to be secured, there is no two ways about it.

I'm sorry for the loss of your puppy.
 
The street doesn't even have to be busy - it only takes one car.  I had a sister of Shari's who escaped from the pen with the two other dogs we had.  They were housepets, but had a pen outside that was pretty good sized, which I walked them to by leash, when it was time for potty breaks.  I went out to clean up while they were in it, closed but didn't lock the gate.  The little beagle mix we had worked it open with his paw in a minute and they all ran out front.  We lived in the country and the speed limit was 35 on the paved road.  By the time I realized they'd all gotten out (less than a minute's time), I stopped what I was doing, let myself out of the pen, and ran out front (about 50 yards).  My husky was already dead and the guy who hit her was a neighbor - he never stopped.  The other two dogs we had were smart enough to stay off the street, but the husky was just a big silly pup at age six months.  She ran to follow her brothers and paid little attention to anything but her freedom.  That was the hardest thing I've ever done, picking her up off the road and having to call my husband to tell him.
 
I'm sorry your son lost his up. 
 

I don't mean this to be unkind -- and like    Glenda and others in this thread, I just don't 'get' having an 'outside' dog (and I do live in the deep South where it is part of their culture).  But I truly don't understand, something else -- why, after the first dog died violently, why not draw the logical conclusion that this just isn't a safe place for an un-contained dog anymore?
 
I'm not sure I know how to say this -- but I wish I could scream at the top of my lungs: 
 
"IT IS NOT 1955 **ANY** MORE!!"
 
I don't care *where* you live -- if you live out in the country because you don't like the encroachment of "city" or if you are in suburbia or if you are anywhere there is a telephone line or within an hour of a grocery store -- if you leave a dog "loose" it's liable to get hit and killed.
 
We can complain all we want about how fast people drive -- but this is 2006 folks.  I have a flash for the world
 
**EVERYONE IS IN A HURRY**
 
Plan on it!
 
That means the days of letting dogs "have their freedom" are O-V-E-R!!!!!  We may like the idea of Poochie "running free" but that doesn't make it sensible or do-able.  That means if we want to keep them alive either keep them on a leash or keep them inside a good strong fence-in yard. 
 
We all remember ... well, no, maybe old sod's like me (and yeah, I'm on the back side of 50, grey hair and I don't dye it) remember what it was like not to lock the back door ... or to just let the dog 'out' even though the yard wasn't totally fenced because "he'll come back later".  I remember what it was like to think "Oh, they need to run -- dogs NEED to be free now and then".
 
I remember ... but it's not for today.  Not anywhere.  (and trust me -- even in dog parks you have to be ULTRA cautious even how you get them TO the park and how you deal with them while there!!).
 
Car's essentially don't go 'faster' than they did 20 years ago, isn't that funny?  But there are way more of them on the road.  I remember when not every family HAD a car -- and now everyone IN the family has a car (including the young teens!).  And everyone is going somewhere -- and no one even has to stop by home any more to ASK if they can go somewhere else -- because they've all got cell phones.  So they drive one-handed.
 
My point?
 
My heart breaks for this original poster's child.  Why?  Aside from the obvious painful loss ... my heart breaks because Mom and Dad didn't say after the FIRST one got loose and died "Let's keep Poochie on a leash out front unless he's in the back yard where it is contained so he won't get run over".  And after two dogs, they're giving up on the idea of a dog rather than change how they keep one.  That makes me feel really bad.
 
In law (and I'm a legal secretary) it's called "mitigating your damages" -- in other words, doing the things that will minimize any damage you may suffer -- like keeping the dog contained so it won't be apt to get hit. 
 
Accidents like Shari's Mom related happen all too easily and they were BEING responsible -- the dogs were contiained.  Maybe not that last step of 'locked' for that one instant, but we've all learned those sorts of lessons too, because not only can accidents "happen" but some dogs are more adventurous, and are faster, and are more mischevious, and some just plain more *determined* than others -- and stuff happens. 
 
But my point is we have to CHANGE.  Things I could do 25 years ago, I can't do now.  20 years ago I routinely used to let my dogs out for a run -- I'm in a smaller suburb of Orlando and it USED TO BE that it wasn't terribly busy.  Now, despite 3 new stop signs in 6 blocks it's a race zone.    25 years ago I could sneak my dog into the movie theatre with me on a "B" run night -- I can't do that now.  30 years ago I used to put my medium-sized dog in my bike basket and pedal to the corner store and leave him to sit IN the basket til I came out (because Pip WOULD sit in that basket til h-e-double-hockey-sticks froze over JUST because he would do anything to go WITH me!).
 
I can't do those things now .. not just because I'm "over the hill" but because this is a different time and place and that stuff just isn't appropriate any more.  And I'm (I hope) a wee bit wiser than I used to be.
 
But I'm not going to waste time hating people because they drive fast because I am one of the maddening hoards who drive 20 miles to work into "downtown" every day and I'm in a hurry too. 
 
Somewhere along the line I've learned a hard lesson -- that my dogs don't *need* to be out "loose" -- instead it's up to ME to provide their fun ... safely.  It's up to ME to make sure they get exercise and "fun stuff" to do.  It's up to ME to keep them busy and keep them safe.  That's part of my responsibility as guardian. 
 
We let Kee Shu go visit her "human" the other day (a supervised visit) -- and in the course of the hour, the guy walked away to sit down with her alone for a few minutes and the first thing he did was let her off leash.
 
In a public park, right on an intersection of a very very BUSY major 8 lane with people who use this lake path to RUN, and BIKE, and wheel baby strollers.  In short - not a place for a little dog to be 'free'.  This guy didn't like it very well when my husband (as soon as we saw what he'd done) made a beeline for him and told him to get her back on leash NOW (mind you, this guy IS Kee's rightful 'owner') simply because a) it's the law, and b) it's just NOT safe. 
 
It took brass for DAvid to do that.  But he did and I backed him up.  The guy didn't like it -- he's "always let her off leash and she doesn't go far".  That wasn't the point. 
 
The point is ... it's just not safe.  So at some point it's our responsibility to change and do it the safer way.

Im sorry to hear about the loss, poor puppy... [sm=angel.gif]
 
We got a puppy from the pound a long time ago and had her (Myla) about 6 months or so when she got hit by a car and died.  She was an inside dog, and our yard was fenced.  We let her out and about 5 minutes later I went out to get her and after calling her and looking all over and getting into a HUGE panick, we found her in the street  in the front dead.  I screamed and cried and rushed her to the vet... but it was done.  I guess she went over the fence?  I dont know.  Accidents do happen from time to time, but I think leaving the dog outside makes it WAY more likely.  Not just for the cars but lots of other things.  If you do decide to get another dog why not let it live insde?

I am sorry that your son has to go through this pain.
 
I too have to say, that dogs are just not meant to be running loose like that. They get distracted, they get excited and they have no reasoning skills.. they don't put 2 and 2 together that if they chase the cat across the street a car will come and hit them. It's up to us to provide that safety for them.
 
Even with my back yard fenced in, I don't go far from the slider that overlooks the back yard when I let the dogs out. Dogs can escape and run, as mentioned above and people can do stupid things as well. I can't tell you how many times I've had to go outside to yell at someone taunting my dog or throwing things over the fence towards him and I have a 6 foot fence.
 
You don't let your other dog, Zuse out alone do you?

I am sorry for the hurt you caused your son by not being responsible enough, after the loss of the first dog, to take care to contain this one.
A few rolls of hardware cloth and some metal stakes are all you would have needed to save this puppy. 
To be honest, I feel the responsibility for this poor pup's death lies with you.  You knew the street was busy and that people abuse the speed laws, and you knew from experience that dogs get killed there when allowed to run loose. 
Please don't get another dog until you can keep it safe.  Otherwise, your son will grow up thinking a good dog is disposable - or easily replaced.  They aren't.

I wish you and Callie could talk to some of the people in my town. Some let their dogs out on purpose and some can't be bother to make sure they have a sturdy enough fence or secure enough gate. And some dogs are just jumpers. As an owner, it is my responsibility to see to it that my dog is contained, whether in the backyard, in  the house, or out on leash and harness.
 
My wife grew up in rural south Texas. Back then, people let dogs and cats run loose. For the most part they were okay. Then the farm field cut road they lived on became an actual paved street, which invited more vehicular traffic. And pets started getting run over. In fact, pets died more often from traffic than old age. Anyway, my in-laws lhasa apso is not allowed to run the streets. It's not even the speed in question. A dog can accelerate in a few bounds to 20 to 30 mph and there is no time to stop.
 
A guy in town who lives next to Hwy 5 would let his Springer Spaniel run loose on purpose. That dog has crossed the highway causing traffic to swerve to come after us aggressively. The police told me that he's had dogs before that were ran over on the road. Evidently, this guy is one who thinks he'll keep getting dogs "until he finds one smart enough not to run into traffic." He rebuilt his entire house and added on a garage with a room over it, poured a new concrete circular driveway and regraded the surround acre to solev his drainage problem. And left the same dog width gap in the chain-link fence.
 
I feel sorry for anyone who's pet has been run over. But we have to care better for puppies who don't know any better.

When I was growing up I had a corgi named Robin.  We were out on  a 40 acre farm playing in the field. She started to run home going down the ditch. I truck actually drove down in the ditch to hit her.  Sadly she did not die instantly instead our local vet had to come out and put her to sleep.  My step dad manage to follow the truck and get a license plate number.  The cops traced the plate and the man who did that was convicted and had to pay a fine as well as do communitity service at the animal shelter. That was one of the most horrible things because it wasn't an accident but a cold hearted killing.

Im almost certain Myla was hit on purpose.  It was late at night and although it was a busy street during the day hardly anyone was on it at the time, also she was laying kind of out of the street when we saw her.  I think a car could have easily avoided her even if she was in the middle... city streets that were very lit up.  A car stopped and it was two ladys helping us they must have been big dog lovers too b/c they were crying and everything.  I was hysterical and incoherent.  Anyway a guy came walking up, he had parked on the corner like he had gone around the block... and was saying something like ooh Im so sorry this happened and all and went on to say that sometimes people may do that to dogs who dont have collars on.  HHUUHHHHHH?   I really didnt even THINK about what he said in the moment I dont even know if I comprehended it all, we were just in shock and so upset and trying to get her into the car.  A few days later when I was going over and over it in my mind I asked my husband about that guy and anyway we figured he must have done it.  I was kicking myself for not realizing it right there my really my mind was flying with panic. 
Yeah she was without collar it was in the washing machine b/c it stunk from something she rolled in that day.  People are cruel.

This morning i was headed out the driveway when i seen my son's new puppy dead on the road. We only had her maybe a month is all. I called the police dept. when i got home and told them that out here people think its a freeway and they are going to be comming out this way more and hopefully catch some of these people that dont know how to use there brakes and or take there foot off the gas pedal. i told the police that in 7 months time we have lost 2 dogs and even though the dogs shouldnt be on the road people shouldnt be hitting and killing them either. Hopefully i see some slowing down of vehicles soon! My son thinks he wasnt meant to have a dog since they keep getting killed. His Dad told him its just unfortunate that we live too close to the road and that something got her attention and made her go out to the road.Trixie would of been 4 months on the 26th. I dont think we will get anymore outside dogs and i want to fix this place up and move in a few years so that we can get another place far off the road so we dont have to worry about the road so much. No money at this time for cremation so Chris and his Dad just buried her in the back yard.

 
I don't see anywhere in this posting that says that the dogs were just let out the front door for the day and not paid attention to.  I think many people are jumping the gun and down this person's throat before they know all of the facts.  I agree, dogs can't just be let out to roam free, there are many dangers for them and as an owner we are responsible for their safety, but you also CANNOT ASSUME anything.  Do you know if the dog didn't dig a hole under the fence?  Did someone open a gate and let her out?  Did she jump it and get out on her own?  I have no idea whether or not this puppy was kept in a kennel outside during the day when people were gone, do you?  I also don't see where the OP said that they only have outside dogs.  Before you start assuming that this family didn't just have 2 tragic accidents in a short period of time, maybe people need to stop, put themselves in the other person's shoes and think before stepping up on that big soap-box.  I used to live on a very busy street and I saw a puppy hit and killed in front of my house, there was also a little boy hit by a car and a little girl hit by a police car...I was calling every week to have speed traps set up on that road.  I was a complete pain in the tush for the PD, but it helped a bit.  So, just because a person's dogs are hit on a busy street does NOT automatically mean that they are irresponsible owners and that they don't deserve some respect for their loss.  If you don't have anything nice to say, then please don't say anything at all.
 
And a note to the OP, I am very sorry for your loss.

I don't see anywhere in this posting that says that the dogs were just let out the front door for the day and not paid attention to.  I think many people are jumping the gun and down this person's throat before they know all of the facts. 

 
I agree that it does not say anywhere that they let the dog out and let them run and they didn't pay attention. However, the OP wouldn't not have found the dog the dog if the owner has been with it, the owner would have found it.
 

I dont think we will get anymore outside dogs and i want to fix this place up and move

 
This is why people think it was an outside dog.
 
I agree that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it.  The OP didn't need lectures. BUT it hurts so bad to know this might have been prevented.   Perhaps it jumped over a 6 ft fence or unlocked a gate or got out of its collar. Either way it was sad. No one here said anything mean or wrong.

Dyan, you are right, and I need to get down off my little soap-box too, but I was really hurt for the OP.  As I was reading all of the postings, the only thing that was coming through for me was a distinct feeling of non-sympathy because assumptions were being made that this person was an irresponsible owner.  We don't know all of the facts of the situation and this person was looking for comfort, not sermons.  I just really think that there are times and places for educating people about responsibility and then there are times when a should to cry is more appropriate.  I distinctly felt that this person needed a shoulder and instead got a lot of sermons and assumptions.