If you live in Harbor Hills or have ever visited, then you have probably seen me walking my best friend, DJ.
For the past 8 years, DJ has been my constant loving, loyal and trusted companion. We would walk every morning, during lunchtime, before dinner, after dinner and before bedtime. DJ gave unconditional love and was the most affectionate buddy anyone could ever have. He would sleep with us, lay down on the couch when we watched TV, eat dinner with us and got excited whenever our kids came home for a visit.
DJ would sit on the chair in the dining room looking out the window waiting for us to come home. DJ would always jump on the couch, chair or bed and look at us with such love in his eyes. As soon as we came into the house, he would run around in circles then jump on us wanting to be petted and kissed.
If you saw us walking, he would bark until you came over and petted him.
When friends came over, DJ would go over to them wanting to be petted. No matter how much love you gave DJ, he returned it tenfold. DJ touched and enriched our lives in every possible way.
This, however, ended last Saturday. I was leaving for shul in the afternoon when DJ ran out the door before I could stop him. He was down the street before anyone could catch him, and was hit about 100 feet from the entrance to Harbor Hills.
I don’t know the name of the driver who killed DJ. But, it was obvious from where DJ was hit and how severe his injuries were that the driver wasn’t paying attention and was probably speeding. I don’t know if he was on the phone or sidetracked.
I looked at DJ on the ground, saw the injuries, petted him, kept kissing him and prayed that he would hold on until we got to the hospital. His breaths were shallow and he had a vacant look in his eyes. He didn’t even recognize me. We carefully put DJ in a box and wrapped a blanket around him. Neighbors drove us to the Animal Hospital in Westbury, which was the closest one open. Other neighbors followed us in their car to keep us company.
My wife lovingly held DJ in the car and felt him die on the way there. The vet said that DJ had severe internal and head injuries and was already dead when we arrived.
I have lived in Harbor Hills for the past 32 years, have driven up Shore Park Road tens of thousands of times and find it inexcusable that this occurred. An alert driver would have seen DJ coming down the street and stopped. This driver did not even have the decency to come over to my wife and me. We are devastated to have lost a loved member of our family, miss DJ tremendously and know that he can never be replaced.
For the past few days, I have cried nonstop and pray that DJ didn’t suffer, that his soul is in heaven and that G-d is watching over him.
—Jack Lipsky
