A recent letter to the editor concerned a cat that had been hit and left on Peachtree Parkway. The letter writer, Carolyn Browning, had stopped to check to see if it was still alive. While it was not, it reminded me of my own recent experience.

While driving north on Ga. Highway 74 near Fairburn, I happened to see something black lying in the left-hand, southbound lane. I quickly pulled over and ran to what appeared to be a small [dog], perhaps poodle mix.

I thought it was dead until he raised his head and blinked. My heart just broke. He was unable to move. I picked him up, put him in my car, and took him to a vet. As I thought, he was too severely injured to be saved and was euthanized. He is now resting comfortably in a special garden in my yard.

My point in this letter is that while hitting an animal is often unavoidable, it would be a most humane and decent act to at least stop to check on it. It would be heartless to leave it lying there to suffer for hours or possibly days.

Even if you’re not the one who hit it, it’s a kind act to safely pull over to see if it is indeed alive or has a collar with tags to notify the owner.

Linda Conley
Tyrone, Ga.