Dog Tossed from Overpass Recovering Thanks to Community

One famous quote says that fate decides who comes into your life, but your heart decides who will stay. It does not have to be a person; sometimes, even animals find their way into our lives through ways we can hardly explain. One way paths cross is through accidents, as was the case of a dog tossed from an overpass but is now recovering in a loving home. Read on to find out how Hank narrowly escaped death in his master’s hands and other animals who were not as lucky.

An unexplainable bond

April’s mother was driving along the Interstate 5 at Marine Drive when she thought she saw a bag fall from the overpass. Instinct told her to pull over and check to see the “bag” so she did, and upon approaching it, realized that it was, in fact, a Pit Bull that had been tossed from the overpass. Panic came over April’s mother, and she knew she needed help to save the dog’s life. Luckily, April works in a veterinary clinic, so after being contacted by her mother, the two women took the injured dog to the clinic.

They found out that Hank had broken his bones and torn his ligaments; thus, he needed surgery, which would cost an arm and a leg. At this point, the priority was to get him back in good health, so April contacted her fellow vets to see who would be patient enough to accept to perform the surgeries while still giving them time to raise money to meet the expenses. They found one, and the journey towards Hank being nursed back to health began.

Without much money to spare, April’s family set up a GoFund Me page, and by August 24, 2020, they had raised most of the required amount. According to KPTV-Fox 12, if the donations exceeded the surgery cost, the extra amount would be used to help animals that had suffered the same fate as Hank. April is also proactive and held a car wash to supplement the donations since the family is determined to do everything they can for Hank. April’s parents are even ready to adopt him.

The instant connection between April’s family and the dog was because it was like deja vu. Almost one year ago, April’s daughter had tried to commit suicide by jumping off an overpass, and fortunately, she survived. Therefore even when April’s mother took Hank, it was because she was not ready to give up on him since they had not given up her granddaughter. Current events further reinforce the incidences’ similarity because April’s daughter had surgery a week after Hank’s.

Some animals have not been so lucky

In 2016, Yahoo News published the story of a dog that died after being thrown off an overpass in Perth. To the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), it was the worst kind of cruelty in animals the organization had ever seen in years. The witness said that he saw a man throw off the two-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier off the overpass, and although he did not die on the spot, the injuries were too severe; thus, the dog had to be euthanized. That animal cruelty act attracted a fine of $50,000, and a jail sentence and authorities were hopeful in their search for the man responsible, that he would be brought to book.

Cats have also not been spared from such ruthless acts. In September 2019, one woman, Addison Hodge, was on her way to WorldFest when she witnessed a person throw a cat out the window at the Interstate before the third street Exit. Thinking that it was a tire piece, Addison slowed down only to swerve around a cat in mid-air, and it landed on the road, after bouncing a few times. The shock led to Addison calling her mother, and at the vet clinic, it was discovered that it was a community cat that had been taken in to be vetted then released. The compassionate Addison did not understand why someone would go to all that trouble only to kill the cat and risk other people’s lives while at it.

Are animals suicidal?

Being tossed off an overpass shows a lack of compassion in humans, but what about the animals who jump out of their own volition and end up dying? For a long time, behavioral scientists have speculated that animals commit suicide in various ways. For instance, according to Live Science, one dolphin jumped out of the water and died in the arms of a dolphin trainer. Other reports are of a cat that hanged herself after her kittens died and a dog that was determined to drown; therefore, even after being saved returned to the water and got his wish.

Such occurrences led to one bridge in Scotland being dubbed the “dog suicide bridge” because, since the 1950s, dogs that passed near it would jump, and some died. One strange incident was of a dog that survived the jump but then went up the bridge again to jump to his death. The mysterious jumps led to scientists trying to figure out if the bridge was ominous. David Banks, an animal behaviorist, concluded that it was curiosity that resulted in the deaths of the animals. According to him, dogs followed the scent of the odor that lay beneath them. On the other hand, superstitious people believe that “the White Lady of Overtoun” pushed the canines to throw themselves off the bridge with her ghostly presence.

Regardless of such unexplained deaths, HowStuffWorks reasons that what may appear as suicide to the untrained eye, is not. Animals are incapable of voluntarily and intentionally taking their own lives. However, they are susceptible to self-injurious behavior due to fear, isolation, boredom, or stress.