don't read if you don't wanna be sad...

See how cute these shoes are? I bought them a few weeks ago off ebay, got them in the mail, wore them for the first time, and brought them home covered in blood. Here's the (sad) story:

.......

Saturday night, Tim and I saw Hilo High's Spring production of "The Little Mermaid". It was so incredibly adorable. We left on a Disney high and headed home all warm and gooey inside. After our 30 minute drive (almost) home, we arrive at our new stop light and hear "PLEASE HELP!" Tim yells out the car window, "with what?" I just hear more screams, and the word 'dog'. We turn the car around and I see a pile of big white bloody dog on the side of the road. AND a man who is COMPLETELY covered and I mean COVERED in blood.

I jump out of the car so fast you would have thought I was on fire. I immediately open the back door and the guy hops inside with the dog in his arms. The next few minutes are a blur, but we speed back towards town and I'm googling emergency vets like mad. Of course, we are pretty much in a no reception zone, so I'm getting no where. This guy in our backseat is trying to calm down and tell us what happened. 

He witnessed this beautiful, 80 pound pit bull run out into the road and get struck by an SUV, then backed over again by the same car. THEN hit once more as the car moved forward. He screamed at them to stop so he could literally pull her out of their tires. Once he got her out, the car left. LEFT.

He picked her up and ran to the nearest neighbor. No luck. Then another neighbor, and another. All the while, people were telling him they didn't know who's dog it was, and to get off their porch because blood was dripping everywhere. So he took to the street and that's where we came along.

I get hold of the emergency vet supposedly on shift. I get connected to someone on the mainland who gets some info, says the vet will only see us if we give them a credit card number first (man agrees but doesn't have a card on him). She agrees we can pay cash when we get there. She puts me on hold for a moment, comes back and says the e.r. vet cannot be reached at this time. 

We are frantic. Blood is EVERYWHERE. 

We try two more vets. nada. The man, who we've now learned is named Ian, asks us to pull over to a gas station so we can get out and think. Actually, he felt so bad that we were wasting time on him, he wanted us to just leave him. UM-NO.

I run inside and ask the attendant to call the police. We are super desperate at this point. She see's the man holding the dog and says we have to move because blood is dripping on the cement.

We go to the side of the gas station and Ian sits with the dog. Tim calls the police and they say there's nothing they can do.

About another 30 minutes go by, and we are made to move again (because of blood). We move to the back empty, dark parking lot behind the gas station and sit. 

This dog may be the strongest dog I have ever come across. She was so gentle, so beautiful, and so brave. She was covered in blood. She eventually laid down and put her head into my hands. She was finally able to breath out of her nose and let us feel around her body. She didn't seem to have any broken bones. She didn't yelp when we touched her. She was so calm.

Tim got a hold of someone working late at the Kea'au Humane Society. He said they don't treat animals, but he could come take a look. FINALLY-HELP.

He shows up about 20 minutes later. He says normally he would just put the dog down on the spot, but this guy, Ian, says if no vet will help, then he wants to take her home and care for her himself. The guy from the shelter agrees to take Ian to the store for med supplies and will then give him a ride home. 

That's where we parted. 

Tim spent an hour cleaning blood from the backseat of the car. It was bad. The thread in the seats are brown with bloodstain. We drove home in shock. I was nauseous for two days from the smell of the blood. We tried calling Ian the next day (and everyday since) but his phone has gone straight to voice mail. 

It was extremely disheartening to see such an ugly side to humanity that night. The lack of help from the community, the sheer disgust the gas attendant gave us. Watching so many cars drive by us and not stop. I'm praying that dog survived and I'm so thankful there are some people out there (like Ian) who would stop to help a defenseless creature in need. 

UPDATE***

Today, I checked the lost section of Craigslist. (I do everyday). I see a missing pitbull ad for our neighborhood. Description matched the dog. I call. The guy that answers describes the dog. Perfect match. I give him what little info I have, and tell him to call the shelter.

Tim calls the shelter a few hours later and they say they have put the man in contact with Ian (or have at least given the man his address). I've called the owner since to see if the dog ever did survive that night but I haven't gotten hold of him yet. I'll try again tomorrow.