Periodically, on my way to work, I see a woman walking two older dogs, I think one is a Yorkie and the other, a Maltese. I don’t know how often I pass her - maybe not so often - but periodically for over 3 1/2 years is enough to have a sense of recognition. I hadn’t seen her for quite awhile actually and then a week or two ago, I passed her and she only had one dog. I thought “oh. oh no.”

This morning, I saw her again. I was already running a few minutes late for work, but there she was, walking one cute little old dog (the Yorkie) I walked up to her and explained that I see her walking her dogs every now and again and I noticed she only had one with her that last couple times I saw her. I asked “Did he… ?”

She said yes, he was killed by a cab just a block from where we were standing. She was waiting at the corner for the pedestrian light about 6 months ago and a cab turned the corner cutting really close in front of her. He killed one dog and sent her and the other dog to the ER and the vet. We talked for a few more minutes about how she was dealing with it, her remaining dog, etc. I told her I was really sorry and then I went to work.

I’ve had close calls with cabs myself. They don’t see dogs that are low to the ground and they cut SO CLOSE to pedestrians. I saw a cab run over a woman’s foot one day outside the Port Authority! There is one intersection near my apartment where the cabs just WHIP around the corner and Snickers has almost been hit twice as we’ve started to cross the street and had a cab cut in front of us.

Walking dogs in the city can be a real challenge with the traffic, the crowds, people pulling out of parking garages without looking, construction sites, electrified grates, etc.

This woman seemed like such a nice lady and her remaining dog was so sweet and well-behaved. I just feel terrible that that happened to them.