It was a sad day for dogs in the Tri-Cities — and a lucky one for a teen skateboarder
A skateboarder was hit by a car and two dogs that were following him were killed in Pasco on Tuesday.
And in a separate incident, two dogs are recovering after being dragged behind a truck.
In Pasco, two small neighborhood dogs were following a skateboarder when he didn’t stop for traffic at the intersection of Eighth Avenue and B Street shortly after 2 p.m.
The dogs were behind him in the intersection when all of them were hit by a red sedan, said Pasco Fire Public Information Officer Ben Shearer.
The two dogs were killed, but the 18-year-old escaped with minor injuries. He was taken to a local hospital to be checked.
Shearer said the skateboarder was lucky to avoid serious injury. He wasn’t wearing a helmet or any other safety equipment.
Fire officials noted on Facebook that helmets are available at the Pasco Recreation Services, the Richland Parks Department and the Boys and Girls Club of Prosser, all for a small fee.
The driver of the sedan was not cited.
Injured West Richland dogs
In West Richland, two injured dogs were brought into Paws, Claws and Hooves Veterinary Center on Tuesday.
One had cuts on its legs and lower body and had a severe injury to its face. The second dog’s feet were severely hurt.
A homeless man in his 70s had the dogs tied up to the passenger side of his truck in an Othello Walmart parking lot on Monday. He started driving and dragged the animals behind him, West Richland’s Animal Control Officer Marissa Rodriguez said.
He drove along the road for a while before other drivers were able to signal him to pull over. He loaded the animals into the truck and drove to the Tri-Cities.
On Tuesday, someone convinced him to take the dogs to the veterinarian.
They dogs were seized, and Rodriguez is working with Othello’s animal control to determine where charges will be filed.
Paws, Claws and Hooves Veterinary Center is accepting donations for the care of the dogs. They can be reached at 509-578-1729.
This story was originally published June 12, 2019 at 12:16 PM.