In the US alone approximately 1.2 million dogs are killed on the roads each year. The number of cats killed on the roads in the US every year is much higher at an approximation of 5.4 million*.
In most of these cases, the dog was hit for a relatively simple reason considering the facts. The dog cannot be seen by the motorist and the driver only spots the dog once it is too late. Even if you have a light colored dog, at night every dog becomes a hidden target.
So, how do we help stop these easily preventable deaths? The answer is simple: make you and your dog or cat more visible at night to oncoming traffic. With our LED dog collars, LED leashes, and LED harnesses, you and your dog will be spotted immediately by motorists no matter how dark!
Does your dog wonder in the backyard at night? Keep a constant eye on the pup when you turn on their LED dog collar! If your dog is adventurous and tends to wonder off the property, make sure he or she is lit up so drivers can easily spot your dog.
A dog being hit by a car is an emergency
If your dog ever gets hit by a car, it is likely he or she will try to continue on like nothing happened - maybe act quite timid - but more of the time your dog will act as if they do not have any injuries (even though they might). Why? Dogs hide their pain, even if it is fatal. It is a survival instinct, because showing weakness or that you are hurt in the wild can get you killed.
If your dog has been hit by a car going faster than a slow crawl (think 3-5MPH) you will want to put your pet in the car and start driving to the veterinarian or the emergency veterinary clinic. While you are on your way, call - this allows the facilities to prepare if the accident is bad. If your dog was hit badly, and is unconscious, you will want to be extra careful in the car. If you can, bring another person to watch your dog while you drive. An unconscious dog can wake up while on the way to the vet and go a bit crazy.
The costs to take your vet are rarely cheap, especially for a serious situation like a car accident. When pet owners are upset about their injured dogs or cats, they might take their frustration due to the expenses out on the medical team - but everyone needs to remember the vets are there to help and that in order to be there the expenses need to be paid.
Every dog owner needs contingency plans to pay for veterinary emergencies. This is part of the cost of having a dog. Having a dog hit by a car is often avoidable, but not every veterinary emergency can be avoided. A savings account, a credit card or a paid-on-time pet insurance policy are options for this need. In a perfect world, every dog-owning household would have a savings account ready for veterinary expenses. In this world, though, we each just have to do the best we can.
Training
Statistics show that dogs who typically chase cars are at a much higher risk of being hit by a car. This habit can also prove dangerous for the dog walker. It is important to teach your pup not to chase cars!
When you have guests over, it is imperative that you teach everyone not to chase your dog. Guests (and your family) should NEVER chase a dog. This is extremely counterproductive to dog training and it puts your dogs life at risk.
When you chase a dog, you are teaching the dog to run away from you - you trigger their instinct to run. A lot of people love doing this with their dogs or their friends dog as a fun fame. Unfortunately, while fun - this is very dangerous and you are teaching the dog dangerous habits. Playing "keep away" with a dog is also not recommended as this is also you chasing the dog.
If you need your dog, or another dog to come to you, then you will want to run away from the dog. This seems counterintuitive, but it usually works quite well. If you cannot run, then try walking away. You can even try backing away in an enticing manner. You can try pretending like there is something exciting on the ground near you, or even get on your back - but NEVER chase a dog!
*the data on this subject is not regularly collected. Information is taken from a study done by 25 New England schools and extrapolated.
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