Victim a hero to dog lovers everywhere - Bakosphere - bakosphere's Blog - Bakersfield.com

Mar 7, 2008 at 07:03 AM : What...

What happened to the dog?

Mar 7, 2008 at 07:03 AM : Sadly it died

Sadly it died

Mar 7, 2008 at 07:03 AM : Not really....

Not really. I'm a husband and a father. Getting myself killed or even putting myself in extreme danger for a dog, even the family pet, is not acceptable. The loss of a pet is one thing, the loss of a husband or parent is devastating.

A sad story, indeed.

Mar 7, 2008 at 08:03 AM : Crossing...

Crossing Rosedale Hwy. at anytime is like playing "Frogger" at high speed. How the dog was in the road in the first place is not explained. Moral of the story: keep pets contained or leashed. I'm sorry to hear that a preventable tragedy occurred.

Mar 7, 2008 at 08:03 AM : Just another...

Just another damn reason why I hate Rosedale Hwy!

Mar 7, 2008 at 08:03 AM : witbe I agree...

witbe I agree with you. Sorry but dieing to save a dog is stupid in my book. I mean what are you going to do ? ran out into traffic after the dog? That's stupid I mean your not being any smarter then the dog when you do that.
Now if it was my kid or your kid you can bet I would attempt to dodge traffic to save their lives but I would not do it for a animal.
Its just like if I am driving and a dog runs in front of me I will not swerve to miss it. I will brake to attempt to miss the dog but I will not swerve. I have taught my children this. Its not worth it.

Mar 7, 2008 at 08:03 AM : Such a sad story. I...

Such a sad story.

I don't know what I would really do in the situation but I'm afraid it would be the same.

Mar 7, 2008 at 08:03 AM : Was in a vehicle that...

Was in a vehicle that almost ran over a dog in that area myself, a month or so ago.

I have to agree with witbee though. A person dying is a terrible thing. A dog is worth nothing compared to a human in this instance! A dog is not a child, it is a dog. It is really not a good thing to put yourself in extreme danger for the sake of an animal. Sure, the media loves those fuzzy feel-good stories about people rescuing animals while placing themselves in danger, and that kind of thing seeps into the collective conciousness and next thing you know somebody acts without thinking, maybe because of years of junk noise about man's best friend and how noble it is to sacrifice yourself for an animal - and now a person is dead, any friends or family have to deal with him being gone, and a car driver is dealing with the trauma of killing a person. I just can't see it from a "dog lover" perspective. I cringe at the human side of it, human life ended and other lives damaged.

The way I view it, trying to rescue that dog wasn't a selfless act any more than a depressed, suicidal person throwing him or herself in front of a train "to rid the world of the burden that is him/her" is a selfless act. The repercussions inflicted on others ( the driver of the vehicle who killed this man, the driver of the hypothetical train ) is horrible.

Gube - I do the same thing while driving - I'll brake to try and avoid a collision with an animal or inanimate object, but I'm not swerving. That is needlessly dangerous. If you brake, only the cars in your lane have to worry about stopping. Swerve, and the other lanes get involved too and the chance of a bad accident skyrockets. Too many movies with swerving stuntmen looking cool. In real life you will probably end up with your car on its roof.

EDIT for grammar!

Mar 7, 2008 at 09:03 AM : I don't...

I don't know what I'd do. I can say today that I would not risk my life to save my dog. But tomorrow if my Sandy Boy was in the middle of the road and cars were coming at him, my maternal instinct might kick in and I might run out to save him. I just won't know unless it actually happens. Please, God, don't let this happen.

Mar 7, 2008 at 09:03 AM : Nice to see some of...

Nice to see some of these posts. The man risked everything, and gave everything, to try and save an injured living creature. I'm sure he felt that people would see him, and slow down to help in getting the animal to a safe location, or simply to move the dog off the road for safety sake. The locals here know better. Like any impediment in the road this dog had some bad luck, and must get run over repeatedly until the remains look like some cattlemen's stew. You see these dead animals all over town, not just on Rosedale Highway. A blogger posted about the many carcasses you see on the roadways just a few weeks back. People are just too busy and many on the roads are paying almost no attention to what they are doing.

Mar 7, 2008 at 09:03 AM : griffon, this...

griffon, this isn't a 'fuzzy feel-good story' at all. from what we know it's simply a man who acted instinctively to do what he thought was right. To compare this story with a depressed man throwing himself in front of a train is awfully insensitive to the victim's friends and family.

Mar 7, 2008 at 10:03 AM : Well, I didn't...

Well, I didn't see this play out, but chances are any drivers who ran over the dog and the car who ran over the person did not do it on purpose. If everybody had to drive expecting any dog ( that should not be running loose by the side of the road anyway ) or person walking by the side of the road to dart into the road at any time, it would be unsafe to drive above 25 mph or so. Can you imagine getting around like that? The rules of the road have evolved over the decades human have had cars. The system functions because there is the expectation that the roadway will be clear and safe to drive on at the posted speed limit under normal circumstances.

A dog in the road is not "normal circumstances" and in a perfect world where people were still curteous and concerned with more than themselves, everybody would have slowed down and the dog could have been removed safely.

Thing is though, people do not pay attention while driving. They consider it their right to blab on their cell phones or be otherwise distracted by kids in the car, friends or family in the car, the radio, and whatnot. They consider it their right to go at or above the speed limit. One dog in the road cannot change the inertia of a whole collective mindset. Expecting it to and running out into the road is not the safest thing to do. Some of the trucks people drive are so huge that they have no idea what is going on for a radius of many feet around them. You just cannot assume that people are going to see you do something unexpected.

In addition, the time of the accident is given as 7:00pm. By this time, visibility is quite bad. Dusk is notorious for being tricky - the glow from sunset may still be in the eyes of drivers ( the accident happened in the westbound lane, into the sunset ), headlights haven't fully taken effect yet, it is almost impossible to see a person not wearing bright ( dayglow bright ) clothes, and even harder to see a smaller, dully coloured object like a dog. You cannot reasonably demand responsibility from drivers without demanding the same from the pedestrian. It is very hard to think logically and clearly in the heat of the moment, granted, but when you are walking by the side of a very busy road you should be aware that your surroundings are dangerous, the same as the drivers on the road should maybe have been aware that their proximity to a pedestrian means they have to be on the alert for unexpected movements.

Tragedies do not happen according to script. They happen when the unexpected happens. And in lives where rushing, the rat race and the bottom line have been put on a pedestal as all that matters, they may even happen more frequently, who knows.

amox - I was attempting to point out that I do not equate this story with the vague idea that it was heroic, or with the tone of the original post, which, to me anyway, implies that there is a sentiment that putting yourself into grave danger for the sake of an animal could be a "good" thing to do, because I personally don't think it is a "good" thing to do. ( Wasn't there a fluff about the ducks on Truxtun extention a while back, too? I would be devastated if any of my pets come to grief, but I can't justify endangering myself or other humans to save them. I keep them away from busy streets for that reason. )

I was also attempting to point out that the impact on the driver ( there is some fingers pointing to the driver ) is being overlooked. The driver of the car that hit this person didn't mean to run down a person. This concept brought to my mind a recent story in the paper about the trauma that a train driver experience when they run people over who leap on the tracks. I wasn't attempting to draw a parallel between the acts, I was attempting to draw a parallel between the impact on the drivers of the vehicles. I apologize that it came across as insensitive. Just voicing my opinion that there are many angles to this tragedy.

Mar 7, 2008 at 10:03 AM : griffon,...

griffon, well put. thanks for clarification.

Mar 7, 2008 at 10:03 AM : It is a sad...

It is a sad situation all the way around. - no winners.

Have I and would I put myself in harms way for a pet/animal in general?? Been there done that (got lucky) and yes, would do it again, just as I have and would do again for any other living being.

Now don't get silly people and mention bugs, snakes and such! I have rescued dogs, cats, birds, & kids. Only a small handful put me in possible danger but I just reacted and didn't even think about it. My hubby does these things also! We are a pair!!!

Mar 7, 2008 at 10:03 AM : I've...

I've heard people calling this guy all kinds of things since it happened. All kinds of things for doing an instinctive unthinking truly selfless act.

So I was already pissed off about it.

At breakfast this morning at Ye Olde Dirty Bob's [metaphor for a place that shall remain nameless lest my wife read this] I heard some yokel say something about him being a dumb sh**..........

I couldn't help myself. I politely turned to him and just said: "You know, I know its "just" a dog, but how is that really any different than a GI throwing himself on a grenade? He just acted on instinct it sounds like to me..... Think about it."

They got real quiet. Probably thought I was a nut.

They are probably right. (the businessman I was sitting with probably thought so too...... oh well).

I excused myself and didn't even finish my eggs.........

(and to the TSM's of the world, I can't tell you how many times I have done the same damn thing to those who have made similar comments about the then Army Captain later a Dem Senator from GA for his action's even though it was his own M-26 whose pin came out in VN)

I guess I'm being a hypocrite again................

Mar 7, 2008 at 11:03 AM : From Max...

From Max Cleland BTW:

"On April 8, 1968, I volunteered for one last mission. The helicopter moved in low. The troops jumped out with M16 rifles in hand as we crouched low to the ground to avoid the helicopter blades. Then I saw the grenade. It was where the chopper had lifted off. It must be mine, I thought. Grenades had fallen off my web gear before. Shifting the M16 to my left hand and holding it behind me, I bent down to pick up the grenade. A blinding explosion threw me backwards"

From me: No matter how it happened (if it was his M-26 or not) he acted instinctively. And BTW, he had earned a Silver Star at Khe Sanh earlier. And I still think that "after action" exploits of Wes Clark bring him no accolades from me.

Mar 7, 2008 at 11:03 AM : No, I...

No, I don't think I want to "go" saving a dog on the roadway. That's not selfless it's selfish.

I'd rather not put my life in jeopardy and leave my family grieving for attempting to save a dog

Mar 7, 2008 at 11:03 AM : That's...

That's the entire point Gr8! He was acting instinctively. Not always the best choice but a selfless act (given the circumstances as I understand them) nonetheless.

He probably wasn't really thinking!

Had he taken the time to fully assess the implications and ramifications of his act (as you infer) the dog would just be dead.

OK, he's dead anyway. So is the dude. But some things you just DO!

I just don't see denigrating him for it.

Mar 7, 2008 at 11:03 AM : We will all...

We will all die,few chose how or why. This may have not been your choice or mine....perhaps you would have acted exactly the same. To Sunday morning quarterback this mans death is easy I suppose. But until you are right there in the situation,you have no idea what choice you will make.

To the family and friends of this man,and this dog, I am very sorry for your loss.

Mar 7, 2008 at 11:03 AM : Heya all, ...

Heya all,

On the larger issue of saving animal's lives, my story on animal euthanization rates in Kern County is up on bakersfield.com. Photos are included.

Several of you have already been commenting to my blog post about it. Now the story, which comes out in the paper on Sunday, can be read online.

Check it out:

http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/382672.html

James

Mar 7, 2008 at 12:03 PM : jburger why...

jburger why are you high jacking this post. Stop it

Mar 7, 2008 at 12:03 PM : jburger, ...

jburger, what about my idea of just having some of us old framers and ranchers just castrate those pooches for free?

we could even save the oysters for Dirty bob's

Mar 7, 2008 at 12:03 PM : i think we all...

i think we all should stop being funny and be grateful that such a good soul even existed. nowadays people are too busy with their cellphone that they couldnt even save their own children from being run over. we should wish him peace and keep him in mind when we want to be selfish.

Mar 7, 2008 at 12:03 PM : right on...

right on newkid

but I'm serious about canine castration methodologies

its a "small animal vet ripoff"

Mar 7, 2008 at 02:03 PM : jburger, you...

jburger, you already tooted your horn yesterday about your previous "award winning" article. Trust me, people will read it Sunday. I won't, but my wife will. So relax. I'm sure your boss will be very proud of you.

Mar 7, 2008 at 02:03 PM : As pointed out this...

As pointed out this is another reason motorists need to pay attention to their driving. A person operating a motor vehicle should not be engaged in other activities but should be focused on the road. Yes, the motorist who hit that guy may feel bad but think how much better all involved would feel if that driver was focused enough on the road and traffic to react faster and avoid the tragedy in the first place.

Mar 7, 2008 at 04:03 PM : Why does the media...

Why does the media want to make everybody a hero? This guy is no hero but is dumb to try to rescue a dog on a busy street.

Mar 7, 2008 at 06:03 PM : Chico, I'm not...

Chico, I'm not denigrating the man. I said that I wouldn't do it. It's not "instinctive" to put oneself in danger, just the opposite.

Sage, I know exactly what I would do in that situation. I'd slow down or change lanes so I don't hit the dog and hope that no one else hits it. What I wouldn't do is get out of my vehicle and place myself in danger for a dog! You really don't believe he chose that day, that way to die ,are you? I'm not Monday morning quarterbacking, I'm simply responding to the question in the post.

I, like you, do feel for the family of the man who was killed. That is the real tragedy, that a HUMAN BEING lost his life.

Mar 7, 2008 at 06:03 PM : Had this man caused...

Had this man caused an accident that got another person killed, which certainly could have happened, no one would consider him a hero. Everyone would agree that he made a huge mistake. It would be OK to call him stupid. But since his own life was taken, people choose to ignore the obvious. This man made a stupid mistake and it cost him his life. There is nothing heroic about stupidity.

Mar 8, 2008 at 07:03 PM : I like my dogs...

I like my dogs (3). But they aint human ... this poor man's demise is a real tragedy.