She was confused as to what was happening.

“Brian? What's wrong?"

It took a while for him to reply. When he did, it was with an anxious voice. "I believe I just hit a small animal.

Rosalynn fixed her hair and tried to relax her breathing.

Indeed, just before Brian hit the brakes, she saw something small leap to the front of their car.

Something that resembled a dog.

She immediately turned to look at Brian and saw that he had gone pale.

She had suddenly remembered that he was afraid of dogs. "Since you reacted so quickly, I don't think you killed it. Stay in the car, okay? I'll go and have a look."

Brian lightly shook his head. "We should go together."

He didn't like the idea of being near a dog. But, he couldn't possibly just cower in the car while his wife ventured out to check on what he had hit.

Rosalynn was about to say something, but he unlocked the door and got out of the car. Rosalynn couldn't help but smile as she followed him out.

A whimper disrupted the quiet of the night as they got out of the car. They walked to the front of the car and, just in front of the right tire, saw a brown puddle lying down.

The dog raised her head as she heard their approach and stared at them with frightened eyes.

Trembling, she tried to stand up but was unable to.

Rosalynn's heart softened as she saw just how helpless the dog was.

She bent down and slowly moved towards the dog as she said with a soothing voice, “Hey there little one. I just want to help. You don't need to be scared, okay?"

Behind her, Brian stood still and swallowed hard as he watched her move towards the dog.

Rosalynn gingerly scooped up the poodle, her gentle touch revealing a canvas of injuries adorning the dog's body.

Initially assuming a vehicular mishap, a closer inspection unveiled a tapestry of wounds-some old, some fresh-ranging from scratches to burns and cuts.

Frowning in surprise, Rosalynn couldn't fathom why the dog bore such a multitude of wounds.