Waterloo woman advocates for reduced speeds after death of family dog
A Waterloo woman is advocating for reduced speeds in her neighbourhood after she says her dog was killed by a speeding vehicle.
Collette Whelan’s two-year-old dog, Khaos, recently escaped from the side gate of her home.
“I guess he must have pushed it open. I've had him for 15 months and he had never done anything like that,” Whelan told CTV News.
She said what happened next, she will never forget.
“I heard the impact and the dog scream and I ran out of the house, saw my dog on the ground and the white van that hit him was just pulling away,” she said.
The incident on Highpoint Avenue was caught on camera.
“I have never experienced a panic attack before, but that was a horrific situation,” Whelan said.
Whelan rescued Khaos from the Humane Society when he was 27 months old.
“He was very loving, very smart,” she said. “He slept with me every night. He was my everything,” she said.
Whelan said she is hoping traffic measures could be installed in her neighbourhood to make people slow down. She said she worries next time it could be a child that is hit.
“In my mind, it's not a matter of if it's going to happen. It’s a matter of when,” she said.
Ward 3 councillor Hans Roach also lives in the area. He said he’s witnessed people driving too fast down the same street where it happened.
“I let my concerns be known with the acting commissioner of transportation for the Region of Waterloo. I am committed to working with the Region of Waterloo and city staff to explore ways to make our roads safer, whether through additional signage, speed bumps, or enhanced enforcement,” he said in a statement.
“Collette has done a great job calling for action,” Roach said.
Adding, “Both my son and I used to play street hockey right where the incident occurred. I don’t think that could happen now as the speeding vehicles, looking for that shortcut to connect from Northfield Drive to Bearinger Road, use Highpoint as a drag strip. Every time I see a speeding car on Highpoint, I feel that panic for our kids.”
Until action is taken, Whelan has started a petition and bought signs encouraging drivers to slow down. She has shared the signs with neighbours.
“We would like to see folks slow down and be more cognizant of the fact that children do play in this area. Animals are out in this area,” Whelan said.
She said she is hoping she can prevent another tragedy from happening in the future.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau and Harris? Poilievre and Trump? Here's who Canadians think would work best with: survey
As Americans prepare to elect their next president on Tuesday, new data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests Canadians hold differing views as to which federal party leaders would be best suited to deal with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
B.C. port employers launch lockout at terminals in labour dispute with workers
Employers at British Columbia ports say they are going ahead with locking out more than 700 foremen across the province after strike activities from union members began.
Months after VRBO booking, Taylor Swift fan told home 'not available' during Vancouver concert
A frustrated Taylor Swift fan is speaking out after being pushed from a short-term rental she booked for the upcoming Vancouver leg of the superstar’s Eras Tour.
Felonies, assassination attempts and a last-minute change on the ticket leads voters to Tuesday's U.S. election
A campaign that has careened through a felony trial, incumbent being pushed off the ticket and assassination attempts comes down to Election Day on Tuesday.
Measles cases in New Brunswick more than double in three days
A measles outbreak declared in New Brunswick’s Zone 3 last week, which includes Fredericton and the upper Saint John River Valley, has more than doubled since last week.
Prison sentences handed down for sexually abusive London, Ont. parents
In handing down the sentences for two London parents, Justice Thomas Heeney told the court, "The facts of this case were the most egregious that I have encountered during my 26 years on the bench."
She was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about a year ago. Here's how her condition was reversed
A year ago, Lorraine O'Quinn was coping with stress, chronic illness and Type 2 diabetes. Then she discovered a health program that she says changed her life.
Surprise swing state? Iowa poll has Harris suddenly leading
Based on victories in the past two elections and polls leading up to Tuesday’s election, Donald Trump had seemed almost certain to win Iowa, but a new poll has Kamala Harris with a sudden three-point lead.
Russia suspected of sending incendiary devices on US- and Canada-bound planes, Wall Street Journal reports
Incendiary devices that ignited in Germany and the United Kingdom in July were part of a covert Russian operation that aimed to start fires aboard cargo and passenger flights heading to the U.S. and Canada, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Monday, citing Western security officials.