I’m going through it right now. Last night one of our 3 family dogs was hit and killed by a car in front of my mother’s house. The dogs became, more or less, my mother’s surrogate children after her human children grew up and moved out and my father ran with a midlife crisis and left her. The one that was killed had bonded with my mom far more than the others.

She is devastated. I loved the dog, but my true sadness currently stems from having to watch my mother endure another tragedy after everything she has been through in her life.

In the midst of all of this I have to sincerely applaud the driver of the vehicle, which feels wrong, but it’s not.

I’ll start by stating it was not his fault. The dog chased a deer into the road at night. In an effort to not hit the deer with his car he swerved, not seeing the dog, resulting in her death. He could have very easily continued on his way, but he did something that I hope I never forget.

He did the right thing (in my eyes). The driver pulled over, carefully wrapped our dog in a blanket he got from his car to preserve her dignity, and carried her up to my mother’s front door.

He was visibly shaking and very upset. He informed my mother of what happened and she broke down immediately. He consoled her the best a stranger could and waited with her while my sister rushed to her house. He left his information and offered assistance in anyway he could.

Yes, he is the man who hit and killed our dog - accidentally. What he really did was spare my mother, and potentially my sister, from stumbling upon a horrible scene themselves while searching for the dog. He had so many options. Options that were far easier than what he chose. He did the right thing and for that, thank you, Stranger. You restored my faith in humanity.