CAPE CORAL Fla. — Yilian Suarez said it’s hard to explain to her two-year-old son why he and his sister will never see their dog Cookie again.
“They cry every time, because they see her walking everywhere. Now they don’t see her,” she said.
Suarez said she knew something was off when the dog didn’t come back from going to the bathroom across the street from her home like she does everyday. She said her home surveillance camera captured a truck running over their Yorkie Chihuahua mix Monday afternoon, and then it kept going.
“I just expected him at least to stop and try to rescue the dog,” said Suarez.
The driver works for Norwood Restoration. In a statement the company owner said:
“As a pet owner I can only imagine the grief the family is enduring. Please accept my heartfelt condolences for the loss of your pet. You will remain in our thoughts and prayers. God bless!”
But Suarez said that’s not enough. She said maybe taking the driver’s license away could prevent this from reoccurring. But Patrick O’Grady with Cape Coral Police Department said it’s not the driver’s fault.
“After looking at that video it appears that the driver didn’t even know that he hit something,” he said. “If the driver didn’t even know that he hit something, you can’t hold them responsible for that.”
Suarez admits her dog was not on a leash and O’Grady said obeying the city’s leash law could’ve saved Cookie.
“If you’re going to let your dogs out you can either hook them to a chain or you can actually walk them with a lease to make sure nothing happens to them,” he said.
Suarez said at the very least she wants people to pay more attention when they’re driving in her neighborhood so this doesn’t happen to anyone else.
