Donna Dixon has walked her dog Milo on Lyndale Drive many times before. But there's something very different about her most recent outing: He's alone.

Ordinarily, Dixon's other dog Mimi would be with her too. But last Friday as Dixon and a friend walked the dogs beside the curb, the 9-year-old pug was hit by an SUV.

"All of a sudden I heard a terrible bang," said Dixon. "Like a loud bang. And I felt so scared to look behind me."

Dixon says it was obvious Mimi was badly injured.

"She was motionless. Her eyes were open, but she just wasn't moving."

But the driver of the SUV was. Dixon says he drove a short distance down the road, and then got out his vehicle.

"I just yelled to him, ‘You hit my dog!’ And then he just looked at me and then said, "So everything’s all right then?"

Dixon says the man told her he didn't see them, then got back in his vehicle and drove away.

Dixon's husband drove Mimi to an emergency veterinary clinic, but the dog had passed away.

"I just kept thinking, what if it was a child that got hit," said Dixon. "What if I was walking and holding on to a little child?"

While pets like Mimi are a part of the family, they aren't people, and they aren't treated like people under the law.

"The Highway Traffic Act applies to all animals, so whether that's a deer, or a family pet, the instructions for anyone striking an animal are exactly the same," said Const. Tammy Skrabek, Winnipeg Police Service.

"They're not required to stick around, and there is no fine if they don't," said Skrabek.

According to the Highway Traffic Act, when an animal is killed the driver must remove the animal from the road if it’s practical to do so. If not, they have to report the collision to a peace officer.

The Act also says drivers should report the collision to the animal’s owner ifthey are known or can be readily located. If not, the driver should contact the city if they haven't already reported the collision to police.

Still, even if the man didn't have a legal obligation to stick around, Dixon says he should have anyway. And she'd like him to contact her now.

"It would be nice if he would apologize to our family. It's really affected all of us."