A DISTRAUGHT youngster found her gran’s beloved dog lying at the side of the road as she walked to primary school.

The girl was unaware her gran’s two-year-old Tibetan Terrier had gone missing the night before when she found her under a hedge on Darluith Road, Linwood.

It is believed the dog, named Maddie, was killed instantly from an injury to the head when she was hit by a car just 50 yards from her owner, Elaine Lowing’s home.

Elaine, 53, is now calling on drivers to learn lessons from her family’s devastating experience and call the police immediately if they kill or injure an animal on the road.

She said: “I feel for the driver because I’m a driver myself.

“They took the time to get out the car and put her to the side which was thoughtful but she lay there all night and it is against the law to hit an animal without reporting it.

“I’m angry with the driver because she had a collar on with a phone number and an address which was the same road she was knocked down on and she had a chip. I don’t want sympathy I just feel that we should be moving on and learning from it.

“Drivers really do have to take some sort of responsibility.

“If they felt they couldn’t have dealt with it on the spot they could have made an anonymous phone call to the police just to say there was a dog hit.

“We were out all night up and down the road with torches but because they put her so far in under the hedge we couldn’t see her.”

Elaine described Maddie was a “children’s dog” who “thought she was human”.

Maddie was never allowed out on her own and was taken long walks every day but when she did get out she thought it was a game.

The dog escaped through a gate on the evening of Tuesday, March 15 and as she had a black coat she would have been difficult to spot on the poorly lit road.

Elaine said: “I know people don’t see animals as people but when you take them into your house they are.

“They are part of your family and it doesn’t matter if they are two months, two years or 20 years they are yours.

“I would have expected a bit more dignity for her.

“That wee girl didn’t even know she was missing because we didn’t know what the outcome was going to be.

“She was just a wee girl who had to find her gran’s dog dead.

“It hadn’t even been explained to her she had gone missing. She is distraught.”

Elaine continued: “We feel guilty that the dog got out in the first place.

“It was an unfortunate, freak, terrible accident but the consequences could have been avoided.”

Inspector Stevie Espie of Johnstone Community Police added: “If anyone hits a dog as a result of an accident, under the Road Accident Act, this should be reported.

“Even if it is not your fault and there is no dog owner nearby, there is still a duty to report this to the police.

“Those who either witness or are responsible for the accident must stop like they would in any other collision.

“If someone is involved and doesn’t report it to the police, in certain circumstances this is considered as an offence.

“If you feel that there is no option but to leave the scene if there is no owner nearby, police can still carry out enquiries to find the owner of the dog.

“Animals and owners can be left distressed after a collision and may require treatment, so please do come forward if you are involved in an accident.”