Willow Glen Resident

News

Family dog is killed on busy street, the victim of a hit and run

By Alicia Upano

A simple errand for the Langdon family ended tragically.

The family of four needed to make a Costco run for baby formula and diapers on the evening of April 24. The dogs were fed, the 3-year-old and 6-month-old were snuggled in the car, and Michele Langdon peered back to the Jansen Avenue house to make sure the gate was locked. From her angle, the gate looked closed.

When she returned, however, the gate was ajar. Her 7-year-old dog, Breezyr, was asleep on the couch, but 8-year-old Bayley, a golden Labrador that Langdon called her baby, was missing.

She checked the bed where Bayley liked to sleep, but he wasn't there. Her husband, Ryk, took the van to search for the dog.

In the months since having the second child had been born, Bayley had slipped out of the house accidentally, and the family knew he was attracted to a Dumpster by the Walgreens near the intersection of Willow Street and Bird Avenue.

At 8:45 p.m., Ryk Langdon got a phone call from North Willow Glen neighbor Miranda Goulet, who had found his number on Bayley's tags. Bayley was lying on a curb at the busy intersection of Willow Street and Bird Avenue, across from the Glen Willow Apartments that burned in 2005.

Bayley had been the victim of a hit and run.

Goulet and her boyfriend were one of two couples to find Bayley. To date, there are no one witnesses to the accident.

"He was bleeding pretty badly from the mouth," Goulet said. "Bayley's a big dog; it's hard for me to believe that someone didn't see Bayley, and it's a pretty lit intersection."

One man lent his jacket to cover and comfort the dog as he died. When Langdon arrived, she saw tire tracks on his body.

"I couldn't deal with it," Langdon said. "I love Bayley deeply, but there was something in me that wouldn't allow me to go over and see his face."

Bayley has been part of the family since he was 8 weeks old. Langdon said he was the only Lab she knew that hated water and wouldn't play tug of war or catch. But he loved to be petted and was gentle with her children, 3-year-old Tanner, and 6-month-old Garret, as well as more than 20 children in the neighborhood who would often come by the house asking if Bayley could come out and play.

"My baby dog," Langdon said. "He is really a gentle, gentle big creature."

The loss was also hard on Tanner, who kept asking when Bayley was coming home, and Breezyr, who won't leave his bed.

After the incident, Langdon wants to encourage other Willow Glen families to take an extra minute to ensure their pets are safely locked at home.

"We slipped and it cost him his life," she said.

Goulet, who has two dogs, said she frequently sees dogs with collars running loose in the neighborhood. Neighbor Clark Williams, who heard the news the following day, said the most troubling aspect of the incident is that the driver left the scene.

"Willow Street is horrible. In our household, we call it Willow Street Highway," Williams said. "It just seems to be getting worse."

The intersecting street, Bird Avenue, is known for speeding drivers coming off Interstate 280, and Williams would like to see the city use traffic mitigations to stop speeding before it begins.

"I'm hoping next time it won't be a child, and it easily could have been," Williams said.

Anyone with tips on the incident may e-mail pers-318612484@craigslist.org. The San Jose Animal Care Center for pet emergencies and non-emergencies, including lost and found dogs, may be reached at 408.578.PAWS.