Service dog injured in Connellsville hit-and-run
CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. (KDKA) - A service dog is recovering after being hit by a truck in Fayette County. The dog's owner says she wants justice since the driver never stopped and hasn't come forward since.
Cindy Teets says she took her service dog out to the bathroom when an out-of-control pick-up truck crossed the center line and struck her dog, narrowly missing her.
"He's my best friend," she said. "He's made such a difference in my life."
Teets and her service dog Foxtrot have been inseparable since the moment they met two years ago. Teets was confined to a wheelchair for seven years due to complications from hip replacement surgery and needed help with daily activities.
"He opens handicapped doors, he can open a heavy counterweight door, he can drag a clothes basket for me," she said. "I wear a leg brace on this leg, he takes the Velcro, the leg brace off. Coats, he can take off coats."
That all changed when Teets and Foxtrot were visiting friends one evening last month when Foxtrot was hit by a driver who left the scene. Foxtrot was rushed to an emergency vet hospital in Pittsburgh with severe head and leg injuries.
"It happened so fast that I was stunned, I was truly stunned," she said. "Then when I seen his leg, I started balling because this is my guy."
Foxtrot's injuries will require several months of wound care and he may eventually need skin grafts on his head. Although the 5-year-old Labrador Retriever should make a full recovery, it's still too soon to know if he'll be able to continue providing his services.
Teets say a report was filed with police, who have checked cameras in the area but have come up empty-handed. Teets says all she really wants is an apology.
"Just acknowledge that you hit -- you did something wrong and come forward," she said. "That would help my heart. It really would."
Foxtrot's medical bills exceed $7,000 right now and may increase if more treatment is needed.
