Mourning Monte: A plea to slow down

| Pets | Safety | West Seattle news

Days after people of all ages gathered along 35th to call attention to safety concerns including speeding drivers, a fast-moving car took a furry friend from his Junction-area family. Fiori C posted her story in the West Seattle Blog Forums, and we asked her to send a photo so we could feature it here on the home page, including her plea:

Tragedy struck my family (Thursday) when our family dog escaped from our fenced yard close to the Alaska Junction, ran into the street and was immediately struck by a car traveling way too fast for the area. The car didn’t even stop. I’m not sure they even saw or felt what had happened.

All I can say is that it was an absolutely devastating experience for me and for our family that was visiting here from Des Moines, IA. We had had a perfectly lovely visit and our parents were packing the car, getting ready to head back home when Monte darted out the gate and was struck by a car coming up Edmunds by the True Value at about 40 miles per hour.

Monte was a Wire Fox Terrier that was more like a child to my Mother & Father-in-law than a dog. He was very special to all of us and will be greatly missed by the entire family.

I know the traffic police are doing their best right now to make people aware of certain areas (like 35th) that we need to slow down on but there are other areas of great concern like this corner of 44th & Edmunds. This has always been a bad intersection but lately, things have gotten completely out of hand. On the weekends, there is a constant stream of cars that don’t seem to be able to read the “DEAD END” sign on Rutan and come flying down that street only to find it end, then they back up at unsafe speed to get out. My fence has been knocked over, my cars have been scratched by those that turn around in our driveway. All things just completely inconsiderate of the fact that families are living here.

When we find ourselves complaining about the growth here in West Seattle, we should be thinking about what our contribution to that is. If we are driving fast, on our phone or just generally not aware, WE make that growth unpleasant. West Seattle is a wonderful place to raise a family. Let’s keep it that way and be considerate of our neighbors and SLOW DOWN A BIT FOR THE LOVE OF OUR FAMILIES!

~ IN MEMORY OF MONTE GRUVER ~
Loving Fox Terrier & Loyal Companion
Your life was taken too soon but our love for you will last forever….

During our e-mail exchange, Fiori added, “If you know of any community group that could use some help in organizing an effort to become more aware of this problem, please let me know as I would be willing to help/organize.” If you have any suggestions along that line, please leave a comment here, or e-mail us and we will put you in touch with Fiori.

rockyraccoon October 11, 2008 (5:27 am)

I’m so sorry for your loss. What a beautiful dog! It’s hard to fathom why such painful things happen.

Babs October 11, 2008 (8:00 am)

What a cutie! So sad!~hang in there and maybe, just maybe, down the road when the time is right take a visit to a shelter and save a life in honor of the one lost.

Kayleigh October 11, 2008 (8:06 am)

A beautiful picture. So sorry to read about the loss of your furbaby.

GenHillOne October 11, 2008 (8:10 am)

Thank you for sharing a picture of Monte. So sorry.

Bob Loblaw October 11, 2008 (8:19 am)

Since you opened this up onto the main page, I’ll start the counterpoint:
.
Let’s not rush to judgement and start bashing the driver. That’s too easy. Consider the facts. 1: Nobody had a radar gun pointed at the vehicle, so estimates of its speed (a fast-moving car?) are heresay. 2: The dog ran into a roadway — the vehicle did not run into the yard. How many of us, even traveling the posted speed limit, can avoid a moving object that suddenly appears in our path?
.
Yes, this loss is tragic for the family. But before we start generalizing and ripping drivers pause and consider the facts.
.
(btw, i didn’t even take my car out of the driveway yesterday — so this is not a guilty defense)

kmags October 11, 2008 (9:21 am)

Bob- your empathy really comes through on your posting. What are you; a lawyer? So far, comments have been to assuage the loss of a beloved pet. There seems to be routine instances of irresponsible driving in this neighborhood.. e.g. fence knocked down, cars scratched. It’s not a stretch to say whoever knocked down Monte was driving irresponsibly. But because Monte is not a young child who darted out from their yard you feel pretty smart with your People’s Court style bulletin point presentation.

Am so sorry this accident happened. My parents from Illinois have “Jack” a wire fox terrier. Knowing how important he is to them I can empathize with Monte’s owners with their terrible loss.

Aaron October 11, 2008 (9:25 am)

That is an extremely unfortunate incident, and my deepest sympathies go out to you and your family. Like others have said, thank you for sharing this, this cannot be easy for you.
~

Another thing I would like to say, which is totally separate, but relates to this tragic accident, is that it seems like too many other people around WS trust their dogs off leashes when walking them. I have witnessed a number of incidents where people walking their dog off leash have chased their dog into traffic, screaming at their dog to stop as it almost gets hit by a passing car.

I am a dog lover, and have two dogs myself, but no matter how “trained” a dog is, they still have animal instincts. And it just seems that when we walk our dogs, we see the above description happen way too often and it’s a scary and heartbreaking site (even if the dog doesn’t get hit). I live near Lincoln Park, which seems to have turned into an off leash dog park, and I always see owners chasing their dog trying to get them to stop, or other owners trying to prevent their dog from fighting with another dog who is on a leash.

It just seems like the safest and smartest thing to do is keep your dogs on leashes when walking them. It really could prevent a number of things that you would greatly regret after the fact. As any dog owner knows deep down, it’s really not worth the risk. Just my two cents…

JL October 11, 2008 (9:36 am)

I have lived just off of Edmunds by True Value for the last 15 years and have to say that there are speeders up and down this hill all day long. I hear cars “bottom out” at the bottom of the hill every day because they are speeding.

The stop sign at True Value is very dangerous and every day when I’m passing it I have to check 3 times to make sure the other car is actually going to stop. My boyfriend was hit from the side when a car ran the stop sign last year. Thank god he saw the driver run the stop sign so he was able to manuever his car slightly up the side walk in order not to make it worse than it was.

I wish there were less cars parked on Edmunds by 44th so that you could actually see incoming cars coming through the stop sign but unfortunately that area is always packed with cars.

I’m very sorry about your beloved pet. I’m a pet owner and I know this is heart breaking.

sea-sea October 11, 2008 (10:02 am)

a lovely picture of “Sir MONTY”…A fine looking dog indeed and very sorry for your loss. God takes those we love suddenly sometimes and I sympathize with your family. Take one day at a time. I’m sure he will never be forgotten.

ann October 11, 2008 (10:14 am)

Sorry about Monty.

I’ve often thought police should spend more time policing speed on residential streets that have children riding bikes and people walking dogs. We have a neighbor kid who has got to be going 40 down a 25 mph side street with lots of kids.

I’d much rather see police here than on 35th or Admiral. Let those be the freeways they are.

cakeitseasy October 11, 2008 (10:20 am)

Just wanted to comment on Monte’s photo. That’s a fantastic portrait and a suitable name.

Ms Pam October 11, 2008 (10:46 am)

I am so sorry for your loss. No words can bring your little friend/family member back, but know that a lot of us are thinking of you…

Lachlan October 11, 2008 (10:48 am)

My deepest sympathies for your loss.

As far as not having a radar gun to judge the driver’s speed, I think people generally know what is too fast for their home street. I’m going to give the owners the benefit of the doubt on that statement. I will also give the driver that same benefit that somehow they neither saw or not felt the collision; it takes a pretty heartless person to just drive on by, and I don’t think most people are that cold.

Terrible driving is a problem everywhere. I’ve seen everywhere I’ve lived- Atlanta, NY, OH, NV, GA. People do not take responsibility for their actions behind the wheel.

Awareness and open discussion and consistent law enforcement is the only way to combat this issue. Forums like this make that possible.

nimby nulu October 11, 2008 (11:30 am)

Sorry about Monty. It is tragic anytime a car hits an animal. It is tragic for all of us – witnesses, drivers, passengers, pet owners and those of us just reading about it.
But, I must take issue with “ann”.
Her, “Let those be the freeways they are.” in reference to 35th and Admiral is insensitive and selfish. What about all of the people who live on these streets that some consider “freeways”. How many human fatalities, just pedestrians, have ocured on the residential street that she wants all the police presence on? Off the top, I can recall at least 3 deaths on 35th and 2 deaths on Admiral. These were real people. But the tally is much higher and unknown when it comes to pets. On our block just off 35th I know of 2 neighbors who have had their dogs killed by cars on 35th in the last year.

Traci October 11, 2008 (12:11 pm)

This is so heartbreaking. One of my biggest fears on the road is hitting an animal, not being able to stop for it in time. I can see how it can be accidental, but for them to just keep driving was NO accident. That’s where I get really upset.

Tara October 11, 2008 (12:26 pm)

My dear little Monte, your cousin from Des Moines will miss you.

GB October 11, 2008 (1:03 pm)

IMHO…if the driver didn’t ‘see or feel’ hitting a dog esp if going the residential speech limit, the driver was inattentive and shouldn’t be on the road.
So sad about Monte..my heart goes out to you.

sassy October 11, 2008 (4:32 pm)

What a doll. Thank you for sharing his picture.
It is hard to hear about someone being so nonchalant about it all.
When you hit something, big or small – You know.

I really liked what Babs said – when the time is right, go and adopt in Sir Monty’s honor.

Please know that we are all thinking about you, and wishing you peace.

miws October 11, 2008 (5:45 pm)

Adding my condolences in the loss of Monte.

Mike

Slider October 11, 2008 (7:39 pm)

I’m so sorry for your loss, I’m going to give both of my dogs an extra scatch and hug in memory of Monte.

jeannie October 11, 2008 (10:28 pm)

This brought tears to my eyes. What a cute, lovable dog. I am so sorry for your loss.

CCip October 11, 2008 (11:04 pm)

This is a tragedy and especially heartbreaking to have watched. My heart goes out to you :) I find it almost impossible to believe this driver didn’t feel the impact! The truth of the matter is, people drive too fast in residential neighborhoods. If it were a young child, there would be more than a blog taking place. This is a great opportunity for a community to come together and proactivly work towards a solution for an on going problem. The city needs to evaluate these streets to determine if speed bumps would be in order. I am not a city planner or engineer, but seems like a great way to avoid any future loss.

Chris October 11, 2008 (11:11 pm)

Heartbreaking. We have a Wire Fox terrier that looks very much like your dear Monte. She too was almost run over by a speeding car but had her front paw clipped by the rear tire instead. We know how you must be feeling. Only time can ease the pain. God bless you.

pelicans October 12, 2008 (12:08 am)

I had to go to True Value today after work and parking was scarce, so parked in their lot on the south side facing Rutan. I thought of you immediately. Such a narrow street, I don’t see how they could get up the speed to do what they did. God Bless you and Sir Monty.

DM October 12, 2008 (1:08 am)

Fiori, my heart goes out to you. Monte was obviously a well loved sweetie. Our beloved pets: they are family. Such sweet uncritical beings, our best friends and confidants. It’s so acutely painful when they have to leave. I’m mourning my dear 15 year old kitty that I had to put down a month ago, due to health reasons. I’m heart broken. Our circumstances are different, but I understand how you are feeling.

I wish that our neighbors/fellow citizens would be more aware of what they are doing when they drive. I don’t know how anyone could hit a dog and not know it. The driver probably panicked and took off. I bet they know they did something bad, and I hope they are re-evaluating the consequences of their actions.

People speed through the streets of West Seattle, and drive recklessly, as if they were asleep at the wheel. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one in our region who obeys the speed limit and traffic lights. I wish that people would aspire to be better and not be in such an unconscious rush. I don’t know what it will take for that to happen.

In the mean time, blessings be upon dear Monte.

so sad October 12, 2008 (2:07 pm)

What is truly tragic is that a dead dog generates more comments than most any other post these days. Guess the teardown to townhouse whiners have found a new cause.

deb October 12, 2008 (4:20 pm)

My heart goes out to you and your family. This is a good, although tragic, reminder to everyone to drive safely and carefully. I’m so sorry for your loss.

CMP October 13, 2008 (10:27 am)

This isn’t quite on topic, but relates to speeding through residential neighborhoods. My mom works at a Bellevue elementary school and often has crossing guard duty. She’s almost been hit several times by people driving well over the 20 mph speed limit during school hours. She finally complained to some BPD officers she saw at Starbucks one morning and they sent a patrol over. The officer caught someone driving 47 mph in what is normally a 25 mph area. Unbelievable. I’ve seen people driving that fast along California Ave too and I just can’t believe people get away with it. Be careful out there, both as a pedestrian and as a driver.

Tonya October 13, 2008 (2:47 pm)

Poor Baby. I know my beagles are my kids and if anything happened to them like this I would be devistated as well. What a beautiful creature Monty was.

Sorry, comment time is over.