Dog owners need to take responsibility

To The Eagle:

It happened again. We were driving down the road, where cars are supposed to be, when I noticed a movement on the pavement, a small dog. It had a collar, so it belonged to somebody, but unfortunately, that owner did not care enough about their pet to keep it at home, safe and secure, in their own yard and off the road! No matter at what speed I was going, when you talk car or truck versus critter, well, the vehicle wins just about every time.

Fortunately for this pup, swift reflexes and a lot of luck kept it from becoming another victim splattered on the roadway, but it's only a matter of time, and this cute little guy will be lost forever. The bad thing is, it's going to be the driver of the vehicle that winds up getting blamed, when in fact, the dog owner is completely responsible; cars and trucks belong on the road; dogs don't!

I will be sick at heart if I run over your pet, but if you don't want it to wind up dead, then you need to keep it off the road. That's your job, your responsibility and if you truly love your dog, then you need to make sure that I'm not having to zig-zag all over the road trying to avoid it, or feeling terribly guilty because I hit it. I don't know whose dog I almost hit, but I can tell you it was near Fern Hill Road on the highway. If any of you have a little dog running loose, please rethink your actions. I don't want to wreck my car avoiding your dog and I certainly don't want to spend the day in tears because I killed it, even if it's not my fault. This time, your dog, and me, got lucky. What about tomorrow?

Kay Chamberlain

Skamokawa