Relief for Vancouver couple as hit-and-run driver who killed dog identified

There’s some solace for a Vancouver couple who lost their dog in a hit-and-run over the summer, after police announced they identified the driver involved.

Michael Rush tells CityNews that it was hard to live with the idea that the driver was out there, and other people and animals were potentially at risk.

Vancouver police say a dog is dead after a hit and run on Aug. 20. Pictured is Becca with her dog Tobi, a one-and-a-half-year-old Corgi-Pomeranian mix. (Courtesy Michael Rush)

“We lived in a constant state of anxiety, where we were always looking out for vehicles that were similar,” he said.

On Aug. 20, Becca McMeekin was walking their dog Tobi, a one-and-a-half-year-old Corgi-Pomeranian mix, near Garden Drive and East Pender Street in East Vancouver when an SUV struck them, killing Tobi and injuring McMeekin. The driver left the scene.

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In an update on Nov. 4, Vancouver police said the driver has since been ticketed. No further details were provided in response to a CityNews request.

However, the couple says they’ve been told there could be more consequences.

“It’s kind of up in the air but it’s good to know that there’s a possibility for something,” McMeekin said. “The ticket is under $200. My dog’s life isn’t worth under $200.”

Vancouver police say a one-and-a-half-year-old dog named Tobi was killed in a hit-and-run in August. (Submitted/Courtesy @dogsoftempleton)

Rush says Tobi felt like their child in a lot of ways, “So, the kind of grief and loss that we experienced – it would be nice to know the driver felt some kind of remorse about what he had done.”

A few months after the traumatic experience, the couple says they’re doing better every day. And Pippin, a four-month-old Corgi, has helped.

Pippin, a four-month-old Corgi, is helping Becca McMeekin and Michael Rush get through the grief of losing their last dog, Tobi, who was killed in a hit-and-run over the summer, the Vancouver couple says. (Submitted by Becca McMeekin and Michael Rush)

“Becca said, ‘This is the dog we’re getting,’ and she sent me a photo. And I said ‘Woah, hold on, slow down the role, can we just pause for a moment?’ But I had no choice in the matter and I’m really lucky that I didn’t because Pippin has been amazing for us and for our mental health and even just helping us grieve,” Rush said.

“I mean, how do you say no to that face? I grew up as an only child with a single mom who had to work a lot, I’ve had dogs my entire life, I don’t live without dogs,” McMeekin said.

Pippin, a four-month-old Corgi, has helped a Vancouver couple get through the grief of losing their last dog killed in a hit-and-run. (Submitted by Becca McMeekin and Michael Rush)

McMeekin says she can’t go back to the intersection where Tobi was killed, and the couple still hopes his death brings change.

“The city needs to put in some kind of speed controls, whether it be speed bumps or roundabouts or something,” she pleaded.

The City of Vancouver told CityNews over the summer the intersection didn’t meet the criteria for an all-way stop or speed bumps, but residents can apply for a roundabout and pay for it themselves if they want one.

“It’s a dangerous area. It’s unsafe and it’s still unsafe,” McMeekin said.