Road Kill

Have you ever thought about something that might happen and a little later it happened? Several years ago a coyote ran in front of my car. It was at night and I couldn’t miss it. The strange thing is I’d just been thinking that I had not ever hit anything, even though road kill adorns our country roads every day—skunks, possums, squirrels, raccoons and, of course, our famous armadillos. After the coyote incident ($2,000 plus damage to my car), I knew I had been fortunate it hadn’t happened before. This week as I was driving home, I wondered what would I do if I hit and injured someone’s pet dog? How awful that would be! Just then, over a small hill, I met three dogs walking along in front of my car. I was able to slow quickly as they moved off the road. I checked the internet. If you injure someone’s animal, if safe to do so, pull over, put on your hazard lights and call the police or sheriff. Stay with the animal until they arrive. If you can remove the animal from the road, do so, but be careful not to get injured yourself. Good advice. The sheriff’s phone number is now on my phone. I’ve been warned.