Sad Dog In The Car Story

I'm writing this in indirect reaction to an article I just glanced at on Boingboing.net . It was about dogs left in cars, and a photo study of them. How they sit there, wondering if anyone will ever come back, sort of a sad thought.

So, this reminds me of something I experienced in Bay City, MI, years ago, probably around 1994. I was passing through, going to the mall or something, when I saw a really cool old car for sale, I think it was a 1950's Lincoln of some kind. It looked sort of rough, and original. I like that look.

So I stopped. It was one of those rare heat waves Michigan gets, and it was over 100 degrees out. I walked over to the car and started admiring it through the dirty glass, and reading the dilapidated information sheet. Then I looked in the back seat. I saw little paw prints on the leather seats. They were covered with dust, and the paw prints showed up quite clearly. I looked a little more, and saw a little dog, a Pomeranian, curled up on the floor. I was shocked, and opened the door to see what was going on. The dog didn't move. I reached in and touched it, and it was hard, dead.

I was angry. It seemed to me, that someone took that little dog, and put it inside this old car, on one of the hottest days of the year. They may have even watched it die. I was upset, and I cried, but there was nothing to be done. I didn't know when it had happened. I took the dog, who had no collar. And put him in my car. I stopped on the way home, and buried him next to some trees in a field. I didn't know what else to do.

And that's my sad Dog In The Car story.

Edit Post script:  Here it is, May 31, 2022.  This incident still haunts me, now almost 30 years later.

Whenever I hear of an animal, or even worse, a child, dying in a hot car; this memory will surface.

Today, it was the excellent Jenny Jinya, and her Death cartoon that she draws.  In her world, Death is the grim reaper, who takes the souls of all the animals who are mistreated, and gives them happier after lives.

I hope the little Pom that I found, was visited by Death at the end too.  And found some ease at last.