So yesterday I was driving home from work, and stopped at the local shop to pick up some bits. I saw a large staffy tied up to a bollard right outside the doors, it looked terrified and had its tail tucked between it's legs. I walked past giving it a wide berth as I know frightened dogs can snap if you get too close.
Anyway I went about my business and when I came out, the dog had been tied up again outside a newsagents across the road, to a pavement swing sign (the ones that have the news headlines in them). As I walked to my car, a loud car drove past, and obviously broke the dogs threshold. It RAN across the road in fear, the sign being towed behind it frightening the poor thing even more. I hoped it was going to run towards me so I could maybe grab it's lead or something, but it ran back up into the road.
Two seconds later I heard the most awful, heart rending yelps. Poor chap had been hit by a car, the car carried on.
Myself and a group of people managed to move him out of the road. He had gone into shock, there was blood coming out of his mouth and he couldn't move his back legs. Someone called the police, who wouldn't attend, I called the dog warden and the local out of hours vets.
Eventually the 'owner' appeared, he did not even appear to be bothered. He said he was looking after it for his girlfriends mother. I have to admit I did get angry, asking how he thought tying an intact fully grown male staffy to be securely tied up to a newspaper sign? When it was clearly frightened?
The real owners (his girlfriend's mum) eventually turned up, they didn't have clue, and to be honest probably shouldn't be allowed animals. Ever.
I left as they were loading him into their car intending to go to their local vets - despite me knowing that that practice was closed (used to work in a vet's locally so know who's who). I doubt that's where he ended up.
Anyway, not sure of the moral of this story, except hug your pups extra close tonight, and never tie them up to a street sign.