my neighbors dog got hit by car and died, should i feel guilty?

Question

yesterday, i saw my neighbors dog running around there yard, not on a leash, and went they werent home. when i saw this, i went over to their to see if they were and home and tell them dog was running around. well they werent home so i went back inside my house. i though they would be back soon, so i kind of forget about it. apparently, the dog ended up, getting hit and dying. should i feel guilty, cause i do.

by the way, i did try to catch dog, but it was a tiny little thing, and i could catch it.

Answer 1

I can understand why you feel guilty, but don't beat yourself up too much. Sure, it would have been great if you had been able to catch their dog and keep it safe -- but then you are taking unauthorized care of the dog and responsible for it 'til they got home -- and you never know. Ultimately, their dog running loose is not your responsibility. Was this the first time their dog got loose -- was it by accident the dog got out? Or, did the dog get loose periodically? The best compromise would have been to call the town dog warden after you checked to see if they were home. Then the dog would have been safe and on neutral grounds. Granted, your neighbors would have gotten a fine, but it would be a small lesson to remind them to check all avenues of escape for their dog before they leave the house.

I don't know how friendly you are with them, but once in my neighborhood I saw 2 little sisters who lived down the road from us, huddling together in the cold (34 degrees) on their front stoop. I ran down and got them -- they had forgotten their house key -- I fed them hot chocolate and snacks along with my two, all the time trying to reach either their mom or dad. I figured one of them must be trying to reach their girls at home and must be close to sheer hysteria with no one there to answer their phone. When I finally did reach the father, he hadn't tried calling them and just assumed they were home. When I explained what happened, he literally replied, "Oh those girls are always losing their key. I'll be home by 6:30 -- send them home then." CLICK!!

But, I guarantee you, if anything had happened to them while in my care, I would have heard a lot more than that from him -- via a law suit!!!

So, again, you never know! You did what you thought was best, so live with it and move on!

Answer 2

Yeah, I know you regret not having taken the dog in. But you can't always be there. Your neighbors were not careful and something bad was gonna happen sooner or later. I feel bad for the driver of the car, too. It's really painful for a dog lover to kill a dog by accident. When you're going 50 mph on a main boulevard, you have no time to stop when a dog runs in front of your car. I think by posting this story here, maybe some dog owners will be more careful to keep their dog secure.

Answer 3

I don't think you should feel guilty because you didn't hit the dog, or want it to die, or even make it happen! It's not your fault. One time my little tiny shetland sheepdog got hurt by a hawk and died, and I thought it was my fault cause my family and I didn't make it come inside which would have pervented it from happening. And another time my mutt got eaten by a coyote. which we should have put it in a pen every night. I felt guilty for both of these things, but it wasnt my fault. It's not your fault for your neighobors' dog's death, you didn't make it happen, you could have possibly pervented it from happening, but you did not kill the dog or cause the car hitting it. Just think of it this way, he's in a better place in "doggy Heavan" and he feels no pain! You should not feel guilty, the person who actually caused the death and ranover it should. I really hope this makes you feel tons better and makes all the guilt go away!

Answer 4

Well it is there dog not yours so there is no way your responsible. What were you gunna do break down there door to put him in the house? Of course it's ok to be sad but don't feel guilty, it's an automatic instinct. You never would have been able to know what was going to happen. Say your sorry about there dog and move on, it's nothing to fret over, like i said it is in no way your fault!

Answer 5

Absolutely not! Unless you're Catholic. We are required to feel guilty about everything.

Seriously, You tried to help! Give yourself credit for that. It's OK to feel sad for the dog and your neighbors. Beyond that, the pooch is in a better place. the neighbors will heal and life will go on. Don't place blame on yourself. Even if the neighbor had kept his dog safely contained, accidents still happen.
Feel sad, then put it behind you.

Answer 6

I sure as heck would feel guilty knowing my neighbor's dog was hit and killed and did nothing before it died. I would have gotten the dog and taken it home with me until my neighbor came home. I've done it with a few of my neighbors dogs.

Answer 7

Feel sorry for them yes, but not guilty. You did best by trying to let them know but they weren't home. The dog is not your resposibility. If it got out they should have secured the facility that it was in so that it wouldn't escape. Tell them that you tried they will appreciate your efforts. Good luck!

Answer 8

it's not your fault but I understand that you feel bad--you wish you could have done something to save that dog--well--you tried to warn the neighbors..if something like this happens again--you could always try to grab the dog and keep him until the owners got back--but you don't have to--and you certainly didn't think the dog was going to get hit and die--Your intentions were good--maybe it was that dog's time to go...Those neighbors should have taken better care of thier dog...

Answer 9

if it was u who hit the dog it would be u would have a reason to feel guilty but if not there is no reason to feel guilty if u were the owner yea because u let a dog lose that probably liked to chase cars so don't worry about it!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 10

I'm sure it's hard not to! What a tragedy. :( But it really wasn't your fault. You did try to help and that's more than most people do when they see a dog loose. Bless you for being soft-hearted and caring. Don't stop, even though it hurts sometimes.