Dog OK After Being Hit In Vernon, Owner Offering Unique Thanks

VERNON, CT — A Vernon man is looking to thank an unlikely person — the driver who hit his dog. That was the statement made by Timo Logan when he walked into the Vernon Police Department on Wednesday.

Logan said that at about 4 o'clock the previous afternoon, he was walking his dog, an 8-month-old mixed breed named Duke rescued from Mississippi via an Ellington organization. They were in the backyard of their home at 1224 Hartford Turnpike, the local address for the house on state Route 30.

(Chris Dehnel/Patch)

Duke spotted a rabbit in the backyard and somehow wriggled off his brand new leash and collar and gave chase. To Logan's dismay, Duke ran onto the road, which has a 45 mph speed limit and typically has heavy traffic that time of day.

Two vehicles missed Duke as he chased the rabbit, but one could not avoid him, Logan said. The driver who hit him, a woman who had a daughter in the vehicle, stopped and assisted, Logan said. They managed to get Duke into Logan's car and it was off to Bolton Veterinary hospital's emergency unit.

Logan said he was able to pick Duke up Wednesday uninjured.

"Not a scratch. He had a guardian angel," Logan said.

Logan then said that in all the excitement, he never asked the woman for her name. He said he remembers what she looks like, but never asked for contact information. The incident was not reported to the Vernon Animal Control division.

"I want to thank her. I know she hit my dog, but she also stopped and was just as upset as I was, when everone else just drove by," Logan said.

Logan said he wanted to reach out to the driver.

"I also want to make sure her car was not damaged," he said. "Hopefully, we can find each other through this story."