Dogs and Cars

My daughter and I were driving to the ball fields yesterday when we witnessed a truly horrible thing--a dog got hit by a car. The driver saw the dog and swerved, unfortunately the car swerved right into the dog and hit it. My daughter started to get out of our car, even before I could stop. The other driver kept on going. My daughter lovingly picked the dog up out of the road and came back to the side. The dog had passed away. She called the dog's owner who said he would come get the dog. My daughter said she was never leaving the house again.

A couple of questions crossed my mind as this was happening.
First--why do people let their dogs run loose? We live in a small rural town with lots of empty spaces. I know it seems like your dogs should just be able to go where they will--but they are dogs and it is your responsibility to take care of them. Just opening the door and saying "you're on your own" just doesn't cut it.
Secondly--OMG! you just hit a dog--why are you still driving? What kind of person takes a life and just keeps going on with their's? Yeah, it's not a person, but it is still a life and life is sacred. Come on, people.
Thirdly,--well, honestly I was wondering why it happened in front of my daughter. She seems so empathically connected to animals and this was extremely painful for her. She absolutely did the right thing, but it drains her. Sigh...

Take care of your animals, people. They have no one to rely on except you. They are like your children, and if you can't care for them as such, then don't take on the responsibility at all.