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Sunday, February 06, 2000 Page: 5B
It was a blustery and bitter cold evening recently when my brother bundled
up and connected the leash to the family pet, Lassie, to take her for her
nightly walk. Little did he know, as they proceeded out the door, that it
would be their last walk together.
My brother and his family live in Orchard View Terrace, a residential
development in Dallas. That night, the quiet streets of this development
became a speedway for a reckless snowmobiler out for a joyride. As my brother
and Lassie walked down the street, the snowmobile, traveling at a high speed
headed right at them. My brother yelled and jumped into a snow pile to get out
of the way. He pulled on Lassie’s leash, but Lassie couldn’t jump to safety.
The snowmobile ran over Lassie. The snowmobiler lost control of his
machine at that point, but managed to keep on going. He never stopped.
Lassie didn’t die immediately. Her heart was still beating, so my brother
picked her up and carried her home where she died moments later with her
loving family by her side.
Lassie was a very young 12 years old. Our entire family loved her, and she
loved her family. She was a great dog, killed by a speeding snowmobiler
disobeying the laws. A residential community is not a snowmobile trail. Just
because the roads aren’t plowed, doesn’t mean they’re available for
snowmobiles.
The police were notified at once about this tragic incident. When they
arrived, they explained how difficult it is to find a snowmobile and driver.
As I write this letter, I find my sadness turning to anger. I can’t help but
wonder what if: What if my brother didn’t get out of the way in time and he
was killed, instead of poor Lassie? Could that snowmobile and driver be found?
In closing, I hope the person responsible for killing Lassie reads this
letter and understands the pain and heartache he caused three children, my
brother and his wife. If he only would have stopped and helped, showed some
compassion and apologized, our family would be able to deal with this terrible
pain a lot better.
He can still do the right thing. Think about it.
Judi Blase Shaver
Harveys Lake