It has been incredibly icy here lately. We are in a freeze/thaw weather pattern, which means that some of the roads are a sheet of ice. Certain states have outlawed studded tires, but I don’t think it will ever happen in Idaho, mostly because our roads are so dreadful. And a lot of them are dirt. Studded tires don’t damage dirt.
So driving has been unpleasant at best. It’s made even more unpleasant when some dog runs out into the road, chasing after my car. There is a certain area on the way home I hate driving along because the people who live there seem to think that they have no responsibilty to confine their dogs because "it’s the country." (One would note that they seem to keep the cows in line at least.)
The thing that bothers me is that I — one of the biggest animal lovers on the planet — would have no qualms about hitting the dog, rather than run into a telephone pole. If it comes down to me or the dog, I’m choosing me. My suspicion is that non-animal lovers would certainly make the same choice.
Running over someone’s pet is an experience I really, really don’t want to have. On the icy roads, driving is scary enough. So keep the critters confined, please.