On Tuesday morning, a dog was struck by a cab in Central Park. According to the Central Park Conservancy, the cab did not stop, but luckily a CPC employee, the Director of Horticulture Maria Hernandez, happened to be nearby and took the owner and dog to an animal hospital. Yesterday, we got an email from the dog's owner, who reports, "Casper was hit very hard by a cab and traveled another 20 feet. Miraculously, he is doing very well—and I couldn't be more thankful."
The owner, MaryBeth, who is 9 months pregnant, tells us that she and Casper regularly go out for runs (now walks) every morning. She had been out for a walk before 9 a.m.—and Casper was off-leash, which is allowed between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m.
Because he is a water dog, I have to avoid all bodies of water so I go on a mapped out walk that avoids all water. I enter at 76 and 5th. Walk up to the Met then go under the bridge towards the Great Lawn. This all happens before 9am when dogs can be off leash. We walk around the Great Lawn and past the Delacorte Theater. At this point we cross the street, Casper is very well behaved and is always by my side unless I am throwing the ball for him...
Once on the west side, we follow the trail south. Last weekend, I just bought a Chuck It because I don't have to keep bending over for the ball which is very difficult at this point of my pregnancy. [With the Chuck It], the balls are going a bit further than normal. The last throw I made went about 40 feet on the path so Casper was further ahead than normal. [And a] fence that normally divides a lawn from the road was removed. It was then that Casper saw the lake—something he is not normally able to see because the fence obstructs the view. Once he saw that, I knew it was in trouble. He has a one track mind (well, two, food and swimming) and headed straight for the lake.
She saw two cabs coming, but she was too far to catch him, "I started screaming for them to stop but there was not enough time. It was not the cab's fault—I dont believe they would have had enough time to react but they should had stopped after they hit him."
MaryBeth also wants to thank everyone who stopped to give her and Casper a hand, "While I'm upset that the cab didn't stop (or that the passenger that was travelling in the cab didn't insist on it), I'm extremely grateful for all the help that Casper and I did receive from all of the good Samaritans. People gave him water, someone gave me a healing coin to place on point of impact, two strong individuals helped carry Casper into Maria's SUV who then drove me to the vet, someone named Rachel even called my husband as I was unable to talk."
She also feels terrible that she "put Casper in a situation in which he was injured... As a dog owner, I know that I take a risk having casper off leash but I always try to be as responsible as possible... Even though Casper is a well behaved, obedient dog, this was a wake up call that Casper is still an animal and therefore can be unpredictable."
As for his treatment, Casper was taken to Animal General, where he was stabilized and doctors found that, amazingly, there were only some contusions to his lungs, "He had no broken bones. He is a rock. The vets there were wonderful to Casper and to my husband and me."
MaryBeth has reported the incident about the cab not stopping and adds, "I find it so heart warming that people have been concerned—that you even ran this story. When something like this happens, you just feel like things are crumbling around you. It's nice to know that a lot of people care. Casper is a very important part of my life... I'm happy that he will be around to be a great big brother."
