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.