I saw a squirrel killed yesterday

[laurajetter]

The worst for me is when I hit a squirrel, but it didn't kill him. As I drove by I saw him dragging himself on the side of the road by his front legs, with his back legs followly helplessly behind... Ugh, I felt SOOO horrible, I hope he died soon after to put him out of his misery. I can't stand the thought of him being tortured like that.

 

[LukenDC]

I saw a squirrel get hit by a car and then turned and looked at it as we drove past. It was a ghastly sight that still bothers me when I think about it even though five years have passed. I'm feeling upset just writing this!!

 

[CheshireVal]

This thread is making me want to go hug a squirrel!

 

[Martha7]

Man, just the other day I'm driving behind this guy who's going 10 MPH (not exaggerating - he was actually doing 10) through our neighborhood. I'm all for slowing down in our neighborhood...but 10???? I was losing my mind.

So a squirrel runs out in front of him and...HE HITS IT! I couldn't freaking believe it! What's the point in driving 10MPH but to avoid hitting things?? The dang squirrel was probably running faster than 10, but it wasn't his lucky day.

Idiot.

Your post reminds me of that old Woody Allen joke where he said something like, "I have bad reflexes. I was once run over by a car with a flat tire being pushed by two guys."

 

[Alice's Mom]

I am such a softy that when I was walking back to my car this morning after walking my daughter to class I saw a worm on the sidewalk, picked it up and tossed it into the grass so it didn't get squished.

I have seen a few animals get hit and it breaks my heart. I hit a bunny once and didn't drive on that particular road for awhile. The worse was when I arrived to work one morning and I was the first one there, so it was pitch black and while walking to my desk I felt something under my foot and heard the crunch. I turned on the light and burst into tears when I saw a mouse. I had to go home I was so upset. I know rodents are dirty or what not, but I want zero participation in their deaths.

 

[bigmerle1966]

Not long ago I hit a raccoon, a very big raccoon. A friend and I were out shopping one evening and had her three kids in the van with us. It ran out in front of us but I couldn't swerve, there weren't any cars in front of me but there was a lot behind. The worse part was the really loud thunk when it hit the bottom of the van. Luckily the 5yo didn't see what we hit and when he asked what the noise was we said we ran over a rock, a big rock. The oldest child played along but the middle one, Mr. Johnny Come Lately, 5 min. down the road says, "Was that a raccoon?".

I don't really get too upset about hitting wild animals, there is no control in that but a pet would really bother me. I did hit a dog once, but didn't kill it, thankfully. This was out near my Aunts house in the boondocks of MO and the dog was not leashed.

I have to say pets not being leashed near a road and unrestrained in a car really bothers me. I may get flamed but it really peeves me when I see someone driving down the road with their dog in their lap. You wouldn't do this with your child, why would you do it with your pet. It just gives me the willey's to think about what would happen to that dog if the driver got in an accident. Now I do not have a dog, I am allergic and would like to have one, a little one I can carry in my purse, but if I did, it would have a car seat.

 

[WorldlyWise]

I'm sorry that happened to you. Do you have a dog?

 

[gshanny]

I have hit a squirrel and been hit by a squirrel.
I felt horrid about the one I hit, though I tried by hardest not to hit him.
The one that hit me had me laughing for a long time. I was driving down the road and he went running out in front of me. I hit the brakes and I heard a thump. As I finished braking I looked back and saw him shaking his head like he was clearing the stars from his vision and then he took off. I realized he hit my hubcap. I am betting he had quite the headache the rest of the day.
I had a bird fly into my windshield once and I got out and tried to take care of him and he died a few minutes later. The one that flew into a window in my kitchen did much better. I put him on a soft washcloth and let him sit until he felt good enough to fly off after a few minutes, Then I had to clean the little feather bits he left on the window.
Heck, I'll admit I try to dig carefully in the garden and transplant worms to a safe spot in a way I figure is the least stressful for them. But, then I wonder....do worms get stressed???

 

[bigmerle1966]

I have hit a squirrel and been hit by a squirrel.
I felt horrid about the one I hit, though I tried by hardest not to hit him.
The one that hit me had me laughing for a long time. I was driving down the road and he went running out in front of me. I hit the brakes and I heard a thump. As I finished braking I looked back and saw him shaking his head like he was clearing the stars from his vision and then he took off. I realized he hit my hubcap. I am betting he had quite the headache the rest of the day.
I had a bird fly into my windshield once and I got out and tried to take care of him and he died a few minutes later. The one that flew into a window in my kitchen did much better. I put him on a soft washcloth and let him sit until he felt good enough to fly off after a few minutes, Then I had to clean the little feather bits he left on the window.
Heck, I'll admit I try to dig carefully in the garden and transplant worms to a safe spot in a way I figure is the least stressful for them. But, then I wonder....do worms get stressed???

After I posted my above post I got to thinking about the dog and realized that the dog actually ran into me which may be why he wasn't killed. I was driving down a weavy country road and he ran out from the side of the road right into the side of the car.

And about the worms, I don't think they get stressed because I'm not sure they have a real brain. It's been a while since I disected one, over 20 years and I can't remember.

 

[Tasha+Scott]

I have never actually hit an animal but I have witnessed a couple of incidents that really shook me up.

When I was a Sr. in high school my little sisters were 3 and 1 years old. My boyfriend (now my dh) and I were babysitting them for the day. My family and I had just gotten a puppy and we had another dog. Well, we always checked to make sure the dogs were out of the way but that day we didn't see the dogs and dh backed up. I heard the most awful thump. Dh had backed over the puppy. He got out to see what he hit and had this awful expression on his face. I got out and saw the puppy struggling to breathe and literally watched him die within seconds! It was one of the worst things I have witnessed and it didn't help that it was my dog! I started sobbing uncontrollably! The worst part was watching him die, more so than the fact that he did die! I was trying to shelter my little sisters so that they wouldn't know what happened so dh discreetly removed the body but I couldn't stop crying no matter how hard I tried. Later I went to work and when I got home my stepmom said, "So did Scott run over Spicey?" (That was the puppy's name...the 3 year old named him.) I asked her how she knew. She said that Kaylan (3 year old) said that dh had run over the dog and that "Tasha just cried and cried." My sisters were fine and knew the whole time. It still disturbs me to this day and I have tears in my eyes typing this. Dh felt awful!

Later that same week a racoon darted out in front of us and dh hit it too! I swear animals are always darting out in front of him and he usually can't avoid hitting them b/c they do it so quickly. Over the years I have seen him hit a opossum, 2 raccoons, and an armadillo! Oh, and he hit a deer back in 2001 that totalled his truck but the deer lived!

The 2nd thing that really disturbed me was that on the way to college a few years back I saw a dog trying to cross the road during morning rush hour. I slowed down to avoid hitting it but the car behind me hit it! I saw the whole thing. The dog got up and tried to run away and got hit again! He managed to run away after being hit twice! I figure that he probably died later or else he is a dog with a lot of lives! When I pulled into the parking lot of my school the boy that hit the dog pulled in behind me. He looked stricken. I felt so sick over it the rest of the day! I hope to never witness a dog or any other animal (especially pets!) being hit by a car again!

 

[Viking]

Your post reminds me of that old Woody Allen joke where he said something like, "I have bad reflexes. I was once run over by a car with a flat tire being pushed by two guys."

I used to be a professional paramedic many years ago and your post remended me of a case I had to attend with my ambulance:
We were called to a assist an old lady who was injured in a traffic accident. When we arrived at the crash site Downtown in our shopping district there were two vehicles with their hazard lights blinking and several people laughing. On the ground besides the two cars, which were parked before and behind a crosswalk, a lady of about 75 years was sitting clutching her arm - and she was laughing, too. When I checked her arm, I quickly discovered that her wrist was broken. I asked her what happened and she -still laughing- pointed towards the two cars and said 'I was in a hurry and tried to cross the street between those two cars!' I still didn't get the joke until I turned around: There was a towing rope marked with a bright red flag hanging between those cars This still very agile lady was running that quickly between those cars that she didn't see that rope. It must have looked like in a slapstick movie

 

[momof2inPA]

I was devastated.

So was the squirrel. My DH said that.

Honestly, we live in the country, and hitting a wild animal every few years is just a fact of life.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I still didn't get the joke until I turned around: There was a towing rope marked with a bright red flag hanging between those cars This still very agile lady was running that quickly between those cars that she didn't see that rope. It must have looked like in a slapstick movie

Thanks for my morning laugh! Poor lady, but how funny.

 

[Stitchfans]

I know exactly how you feel. Many years ago when I was driving a school bus a squirrel darted out in front of me. There was no way I could stop in time. I felt so bad. At the time the students on my bus was from St Marys and St Josephs school. A great group of kids.

When I hit the squirrel I cried out- oh no! What did I do?

several of the kids told me - oh no. don't worry you missed him.
to try to make me feel better


I could clearly see from my mirror that they weren't telling me the truth, but God bless their little hearts for trying to make me feel better.