York Township family seeks information on driver whose pickup struck and killed family dogs
It only took a few seconds for Jeanette Ticknor to go inside to grab her shoes, but it was long enough to lose her two beloved dogs.
On Feb. 28, not long after 5 p.m. while the sun was still out, Joey and Deago, the Ticknor’s two dogs, were both hit and killed on Saline-Milan Road in York Township.
Ticknor and a witness both say the driver appeared to intentionally hit the dogs before driving away, and her family is appealing for any information that could identify the driver.
Ticknor said both dogs crossed the road she lives on with her husband Brian and two children, Taylor and Meena. Ticknor saw the dogs and called them back.
As the dogs crossed the road to come home, a silver late-model truck struck both dogs.
Joey was one of the two dogs struck and killed.
“They were coming back across when they were hit,” Ticknor said. “I went in to grab my shoes, to make sure they were coming back, and it happened that quick.”
From her vantage point, Ticknor believes the driver intentionally hit the dogs.
“He swerved to hit one near the shoulder and then swerved again to the middle to hit Deago. He never even stopped, he just kept going,” Ticknor said.
David Buckeridge said he also believes the driver intended to hit the dogs. Buckeridge was dropping off his daughter, Emily Buckeridge, who is dating Taylor Ticknor, and both witnessed the incident.
“As far as I’m concerned, he had ample time to slow down and get out of the way,” Buckeridge said.
Buckeridge, an anesthesiology nurse, said despite being accustomed to dealing with death, the event shook him up.
“I’ve seen it all, knife wounds gunshot wounds, motorcycle accidents, but emotionally, this has kind of got me rattled,” Buckeridge said.
Tanya Hilgendorf, the executive director of the Humane Society of Huron Valley, said one of the biggest dangers of animals getting loose is the possibility they'll be struck by cars.
“We see animals hit by cars all the time,” Hilgendorf said.
The two dogs - one an Olde English Bulldogge and the other one an American Bulldog, were allowed to roam free in the Ticknors' yard, and Jeanette Ticknor said they rarely left.
Deago was one of the two dogs struck and killed.
“We don’t chain them up - we never have. They always stay in the perimeter of the yard,” Ticknor said.
Ticknor said her family is shaken up by the accident, and her children, Taylor and Meena, are taking the loss very hard.
“We’re not sleeping at night. My son is finding reasons to not to come home,” Ticknor said.
Emily Buckeridge said she was saddened by the event.
“It was hard to see because I knew the dogs personally and just the way things went down and I had to be there to see it,” Buckeridge said. “I’ve worked in a hospital since I was 19 and to witness somebody so cold and calloused, it’s hard to come to terms with that."
Buckeridge, who was 75 to 100 yards from the other driver when it happened, said he tried to follow the driver but got stuck in a ditch. He said two people were in the truck, one had blonde hair, and they both looked younger.
For criminal charges to be filed, authorities must be able to prove the driver intentionally struck the dogs - or the driver's pickup must have more than $1,000 damage, which is required to be reported under Michigan law, according to the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department.
Anyone with information about the driver or the vehicle can call Jeanette Ticknor at 734-657-5091.
John Garcia is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.
Comments
bg
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 3:44 p.m.
"Cold and callused" or "cold and callous". Sad, but obviously a perfect reason to use a leash.
Bob Needham
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 3:38 p.m.
Two comments critical of our comment moderation have been moved to the ongoing thread on that subject.
Woman in Ypsilanti
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 3:30 p.m.
Hindsight is always 20/20. And seriously people, sometimes even very good dog owners have dogs that get away from them. Dogs sometimes jump fences or dash out between one's legs when the door is opened. I even had one dog who kept getting out of the yard and I couldnt figure out why until I happened to come home early, just in time to catch the neighbor's kid letting the dog out of the yard to play. I'll admit that it is perfectly possible that this was an accident but it is also possible that some cruel sick person hit the dogs on purpose and blaming the dog's owners for that is like blaming the parents of a kid who gets kidnapped and murdered by some sicko.
Atticus F.
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 3:01 p.m.
@Lori, it's wrong to ASSUME that this was done out of malice or hate. I could have been an accident. And if one dog was chasing after a vehicle, it's completely possible that the other was following(pack behavior). I saw a dog bolt onto Packard road several years ago. The dog was killed. I stopped to help, as did the driver that hit the dog. The driver said the dog came out of nowhere, and he didn't have time to react. And I believed him. Another thing to consider is that dogs running loose in the street can be a danger to people driving on the road. What if that car swerved to miss the dogs and ended up killing a child passenger?
Lori
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 2:21 p.m.
The chances of both dogs jumping in the trucks path is highly unlikely. If it was an accident, why not stop? Maybe the dogs should have been leashed, but it doesn't mean they deserved to be killed. This is sad and uncalled for. The swans that were killed were hit by 2 young guys who claimed it was foggy and they didn't see them. I drove that same road that night and it was clear as can be. There are just some cruel and sick poeple out there.
treetowncartel
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 2:13 p.m.
Parameter or perimeter? Sounds like these dogs were doing long equations.
theodynus
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 1:45 p.m.
This is sad and the victim can't be blamed, because everyone makes mistakes, but this is one of many reasons for the following statute: M. C. L. A. 287.262, Sec. 2, It shall be unlawful for [blah blah blah] any owner to allow any dog, except working dogs [Bob Loblaw], to stray unless held properly in leash. It also seems entirely possible that the driver swerved to avoid the dog, only to have the dog jump in front of the car, so don't jump to conclusions about this. Remember the Swans?
Griffen
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 1:36 p.m.
Leashes save lives.
CountyKate
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 1:11 p.m.
Would someone, please, proofread this story? It would greatly help my understanding, I believe.
PR of AA
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 1:07 p.m.
pretty sure a leash would have prevented the whole thing from happening, not saying it to be cruel, just realistic
Woman in Ypsilanti
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 12:51 p.m.
I hope that the person who hit these dogs gets punished too but I have to admit that it sounds highly unlikely. Even if you were to find the driver, proving intent would be next to impossible.
TheWhistler
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 12:42 p.m.
bruceae, I have to agree. Censorship is unpleasant and to be avoided as much as possible. Second point: dogs running loose on a public road are liable to cause an accident so should be kept under control.
cinnabar7071
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 12:40 p.m.
Reminds me of t-ball where nobody wins or loses, which leads to this kind of behavior. Personal accountablity is a thing of the past.
uawisok
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 12:24 p.m.
"We dont chain them up we never have, they always stay in the parameter of the yard, Ticknor said" "Ticknor said both dogs crossed the road she lives on with her husband Brian and two children, Taylor and Meena. Ticknor saw the dogs and called them back. It is a crime what has happened and I feel sorry for the families loss, but the 2 statements seem to contradict each other??
AstroJetson
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 11:35 a.m.
How terribly sad. My heart goes out to the Ticknor family. I hope the cruel, heartless person who did this is identified and punished.
Theresa Taylor
Wed, Mar 10, 2010 : 11:09 a.m.
My heart is in pieces over this. So sad. :(