Safety Fencing For Our Gentle Giant

Meet Bullitt. My kids and I set out to adopt a senior dog just days after we moved here to Franklin. After days of searching our eyes met this sweet boy and he came home with our family. We had a few acres so I thought this would be a perfect heaven for this boy. We loved his slow pace and strong desire to just snuggle you all day long. Literally, it’s all he ever did. Last night he managed to slip out of his collar while my 14 year old was taking him for his nightly walk. He immediately came to tell me so I could go look for him. Within 5 minutes I had found him on the side of a busy street. Several cars were stopped with their flashers on and warning oncoming cars to stop. I was about 20 feet from Bullitt when I heard horns blaring and people yelling. The next thing I know I’m watching my gentle giant sideswiped by the oncoming speeding vehicle who didn’t even hit his brakes until he had made contact and ended up pushing my B about 100 feet. The car never stopped. They just kept driving. Bullitt miraculously jumped up immediately as the car slowed and ran away. I was just screaming in terror as it felt like an eternity before my eyes. I jumped in my car in the dark cold rain and tracked my boy down. He was terrified but eventually came to me. He was checked out last night and observed through the night and is doing very well. He’s just a little sore and somehow walking even more slowly than his already sweet “mosey” we like to call it. I’m reaching out to my community at the request of a few concerned and kind neighbors asking to help fund building a fence to help ensure Bully’s safety. I am a single Mom of 3 and unfortunately barely get by as it is at times and have a physical illness that keeps me from being able to do much manual labor. But I’ve promised everything under my care I will bend over backwards to make sure they are safe and well cared for. Even if that means setting my pride aside. I appreciate my neighbors who don’t even know B and I but want to come alongside me to help keep him safe and also my children from having to go through this again. Love, your grateful neighbors. I’ll leave you with the post I sent out to my fellow neighbors last night... “Accidents happen, I understand that. It was an accident that he slipped out of his collar while my son was taking him for a nightly walk. But my 14 year old has the integrity to come find me and tell me what had happened even though he was nervous I would be angry. To watch you absolutely barrel down that road as everyone else was pulled over and honking at you as you pummeled into my sweet boy clearly showed you were definitely not paying attention. However, when you slowed down only long enough after you had dragged him a solid hundred feet just long enough to get him off your bumper to only speed up and take off again? I would have forgiven you. I would have appreciated your help trying to run after him as him limped away in fright. He was so scared he wouldn’t even come to me. I tracked him down eventually in the cold rain with the help of a sweet boy who witnessed the whole thing and tried to flag you down as well. I don’t know if maybe you were drinking, maybe you just got spooked. But you have a character flaw in your heart that this world desperately needs you to address. You felt the thud of our family dog on your grill and you heard my screams of terror as you dragged him. And then left. I’ll incur the costs. I’m a single mom barely scraping it together at times. But I know what is right from wrong and it is my responsibility to take care of those in my care. Tonight I’m going to pray for you. Because I know what I keep seeing on repeat in my mind. I can’t imagine what you may be seeing. To my other neighbors, I desperately need to fence in a portion of my yard. This rescue pup is proving to be quite the Houdini and I need to keep him safe. I am a single Mon with an illness that does not allow my body to do much physical labor. I am going to need to find a way to purchase some fencing. I would humbly ask if anyone has the time to help me put some kind of fencing in place for my buddy, I would forever be indebted. We tried the ecollar thing and he’s just too smart. I live near Franklin Rd and South Berry’s Chapel Rd. Say a prayer for my Bullitt tonight. I think he is miraculously ok but still keeping an eye on him. Thanks, neighbors. ❤️ This is a pic of my gentle giant watching calmly over a hurt kitten we rescued tonight. (Anyone want a sweet little kitty?)”