['what an odd memory to crop up. my dog jetted outside anytime he could and one night managed to get out and the car that hit him had no time to stop.. dark and right in front of our house.']
Oh no, that's awful!  What happened to your dog?
many years ago, as a child, i was woken up by my mom to the news that our dog had gotten out of the house and was hit by a car. he didn't survive.