Tuesday October 6th at approximately 5pm our loving dog Charlie was ran over and killed by a man picking up his children at a house on our street. This man failed to abide by the posted speed limit of 10 miles per hour, was driving on the wrong side of the road, and parked his vehicle in the fire lane for at least 15 minutes. After he hit Charlie, he did not stop and continued to drive down the road. He looked right at me and went inside the residence. After being inside to get his kids and a bite to eat, he proceeded to get in his car to leave. It wasn't until he had 5+ people hollering at him for killing our dog that he approached us. He was yelling at us "Ya I hit your dog, what do you want me to do about it?". He continued eating and showed absolutely no remorse. The Phoenix police were contacted immediately and refused to send out an officer stating "It's just a dog, not a human. We aren't sending anyone out there." After frantically trying to make arrangements for Charlie, I continued to contact the police until they reluctantly sent out an officer 3 hours later at around 8p, after this man had already departed. The officer was less than helpful and said Phoenix police weren't going to do anything regarding this matter. The next day, Wednesday October 7th, I went door to door with a flyer requesting that anyone email me anything they saw or heard. When I approached the residence this man went into the day before, the man that opened the door provided me with this man's first and last name as well as the kind and color of car he drives stating he frequents this residence picking up his children he has with a female roommate. I also researched this man's address and got his license plate number and provided all this information to the Phoenix police and again they would not do anything even with neighbors as witnesses. In looking up this man's public record, he has a history of running stops signs, red lights, no insurance, etc. As suggested by a gentleman on our street who is part of the HOA, I contacted the sheriff's department. They said that I need to deal with Phoenix police and request to speak with a sergeant. In doing so, Phoenix police refused to get me in contact with a sergeant numerous times. They reluctantly sent out another officer that stated he would submit for an MVD review that would require this man to go in and redu the written and driving test and if he failed to do so, his license would be revoked. This officer also instructed me to contact a personal injury lawyer and that he would be in contact with me again Saturday October 10th to let me know if there is anything else he could do. All day Thursday October 8th, I contacted local personal injury lawyers that all stated they don't handle cases involving animals. The officer relayed on Saturday October 10th that in fact he was not able to submit for the MVD review and he would speak with his sergeant to see what other options there might be. On Sunday October 18th, the officer as well as his sergeant informed me that they finally made contact with this man. He admitted to hitting and killing our dog and a police report was filed but he will not be pursued any further. They advised me that my only remedy would be to file a civil suit against this man because it's "my word against his" being an officer wasn't sent to the scene to file a report when originally requested.

We created this petition to raise awareness for the need to reprimand reckless driving resulting in animal injury or death. As pet owners we try our best to provide a loving and safe environment for our companions. Just like children, our pets are naturally curious and love to run and play. Occasionally, even with our best intentions in effect, our animals may slip out of our sight to explore. That was the case with our little Charlie, he was accidentally let out of the front door and was ran over and killed within a couple feet of our home by a man and his reckless driving. When requested, police were not sent to the scene making it difficult to hold this man accountable.

There currently are no laws protecting our companions from situations like this. It should be a requirement that if you hit and injure/kill an animal with your vehicle on a residential street, you must stop and contact the authorities. A police report will be filed and the pet's owner will be contacted if not present. The violator will be subject to citation, fines, and a claim should be filed with the violators insurance company just as if an accident occurred with a human. Harsher punishment should be enforced for those that display continued reckless behavior on their driving record. The pets owner is still liable to receive citation for their animal not being properly restrained in accordance to current law.

We are asking that if the incident happened on a residential street within 1 mile of the owner's residence, there are witnesses, and the pet's owner is contacted or present, the following should take place...

Hit an animal with your car resulting in injury not death, no previous record of reckless behavior: cited for reckless driving resulting in injury, fined, file claim with insurance company to compensate owner.

Hit an animal with your car resulting in death, no previous record of reckless behavior: cited for reckless driving resulting in death, fined, file claim with insurance company to compensate owner, defensive driving course completion.

Hit an animal with your car resulting in injury not death, previous record of reckless behavior: cited for reckless driving resulting in injury, fined, file claim with insurance company to compensate owner, defensive driving course completion, suspension of license.

Hit an animal with your car resulting in death, previous record of reckless behavior: cited for reckless driving resulting in death, fined, file claim with insurance company to compensate owner, defensive driving course completion, suspension of license, arrest.

Unfortunately, not all pets are tagged or chipped which would make it difficult to contact the owner if they aren't present. Still, the violator should be cited for reckless driving resulting in animal injury or death.

We are seeking justice for not only Charlie but also for those that don't have a voice, our beloved pets. We thank you all for taking the time to review and sign our petition with hope that together, we all can hold violators accountable as well as make a difference for those that have been affected by situations like this. Animal lives matter too.