Tuesday, March 14th seemed like any other day for me as a mom of three children in Wilmington, North Carolina. But what I witnessed that afternoon is forever imprinted in my mind, and I have to do something about it.  

While dropping two of my kids off at a music lesson, I stopped at a traffic light on the highway. In the opposite lane, I noticed a beautiful Great Dane sitting unrestrained in the back of a pickup truck and thought to myself how unsafe that was. My worst fears became reality when the light changed to green. The driver accelerated. The dog went flying out of the pickup truck, tumbled through the air, and was hit by a car behind him.

I immediately jumped out of my car to halt traffic and help the dog. The Great Dane was laying on the ground with a massive 10 inch gash in his hip and unable to move. The sounds that I heard coming from the dog -- screaming -- yes, screaming -- in excruciating agony, continue to haunt me to this day.

The dog’s owner sped off to the vet. I got back into my minivan, with my two children, ages 7 and 9, crying hysterically in the backseat. Have you ever seen a dog fly through the air and get hit by a car? Have you ever heard a dog scream? I've seen dogs get hurt, but I never knew dogs could scream like that.

Later, I learned that the dog, a two year-old named Tank, had broken his back and was euthanized due to his extensive injuries.

No dog should die falling out of the back of a pickup truck, and I hope this tragedy will spark changes in the law. Six states currently have laws requiring dogs to be restrained in truck beds. I plan to work with our legislators to make North Carolina next! Please sign this petition to prevent other dogs from suffering the same grisly catastrophe as Tank the Great Dane.