Heartache for 91-year-old Northampton man as best friend Spencer the Terrier dies after hit and run

A 91-year-old man has been left heartbroken after his best friend had to be put down following a hit and run in Northampton.

John Bond was on his usual daily walk on his mobility scooter from his home in Duston to a nearby park at around 8.30am on Wednesday (January 6).

Spencer, John’s dog, who walks alongside his scooter, was hit by a car in Melbourne Lane, when he stepped back onto the road after crossing with John.

The Terrier-cross rescue dog, who is believed to have been around 13-years-old, was taken to the vets by his owner, but his injuries were so severe that he had to be put down.

John’s granddaughter has now spoken out about the heartache her grandad is experiencing following the death of his best friend, with whom he had been ‘inseparable’ from for the three-and-a-half years he had been in his life.

Helen Askew said: “My grandad said the noise when Spencer was hit was just atrocious and the car just kept driving.

“Grandad got off his mobility scooter, put Spencer on his lap and took him straight to the vets but his spine was shattered and he needed to be put down.

“We got Spencer for my grandad from a rescue home just after my nan passed away around, as my grandad was lonely.

“They were inseparable and the dog followed him everywhere. They were a match made in heaven and Spencer really was my grandad’s best friend.

“He has now lost a massive chunk of his life. Spencer was my grandad’s reason to live and reason to get out the house everyday, but now he is on his own and that's a worry.”

Helen says her grandad does not cry often, so it ‘broke her heart’ to see him crying and so emotional after Spencer’s death.

The family made the decision not to report the incident to the police, as they appreciate that Spencer should not have been in the road.

However, they have been left distraught that the driver did not stop to see check on Spencer and John.

Helen added: “The main thing we are upset about as a family is that the driver didn’t stop.

“There is no way we would have blamed the driver as we understand the dog shouldn’t have been in the road. Spencer never ever walks off from Grandad’s scooter, but he did this time.

“The fact that they didn’t stop meant that my grandad had to do this on his own.

“He was on his own for about two hours and to hear his best friend would have to be put down while he was on his own is horrible.

“The driver could have just asked if he was OK and if Spencer needed taking to the vets.

“It was heartless to make a 91-year-old man go through that on his own.”

Helen went back to where Spencer was hit the day after it happened and found part of the bumper of the dark coloured car, so she is sure the driver would have known they had hit the dog.

The family has since shared John’s heartache on social media and on Spotted Duston, where there has been an outpouring of love.

Helen has shown the ‘nice, kind words’ to her grandad, which she says has made him realise that ‘people are not heartless and that they do care’.

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