White van driver and doing the right thing

The snow is getting worse. This morning it was do-able, as everything remained wet and slushy, but tonight the snow is thick and the lane is icy! Excellent! NOT!!!


Finished jobs today, paperwork,shopping for the family meal tomorrow, paying bills and cleaning out the polo! As I took a cheque up to Lloc to pay for the coal delivery, the snow really came down and was almost a white out. Ahead of me on the main road I saw a white van swerve slightly and hit a large black and white border collie which somersaulted into the snow on the verge. The van stopped and the driver, a builder type got out briefly and without checking if the dog was ok, got back into his van and sped off. I put on my hazard lights and got out. The dog was barely conscious and shaking in shock. All I could think is to get to Caerwys ( about 3 miles away) and get the dog to the vets quickly but before I could lift it up I was joined by a woman of about 65, who had stopped behind me in a 4 by 4. Despite the snow she already had taken off her coat and in a no nonsense type of way wrapped it around the dog. I picked the animal up and she told me to put it in her car as she lived in Caerwys and would take it to the vets. As she got into her van she shouted cheerfully "Thank you for stopping!!!", and drove away, leaving me all a bit shaken by the experience.


I rang Sergent Vets later when I got home and unfortunately the farm dog had to be put down, but I was struck by the kindness of the Lady and the uncaring behaviour of ignorant white van driver.

Why do some people "do the right thing" ? when others move on by? .....It is perhaps an age old question.


To me, It would be natural to lend a hand to someone or some animal in distress, it is just the decent thing to do . why then did I and this lady automatically stop? and the builder didn't? How could he justify his behaviour to himself? This "selfishness" is, I guess, a part of being human, just as the woman's kindness is and I should not have been so surprised. I just wish that this man would have seen the old woman remove her coat in the middle of a snow storm like she did, perhaps it would have shamed him...then again...I somehow doubt it.