A liitle off topic, and not for a moment suggesting you should mow a dog down, but an incident from some years ago which suggest they are more robust than we realise
Me and the ex were in Dublin, and had been to the transport museum (read, buses in a shed) somewhere in the north of greater Dublin. Walking back for the train, a dog followed us, and being softies, we sweet talked it. It became apparent the dog was daft, it kept crossing the road oblivious of traffic to find other soft touches, and then returning.
Nearing the station, the dig did this, and walked straight in front of a car, the ex turned away but I saw it go under the wheels and be thrown up onto the underside of the car followed by the back wheels going over it. The ex hadn't seen this, but when I looked back she had a look that still haunts me, she was upset beyond belief, she was wounded. As I tried to comfort her the dog trotted past us...
Julia, seeing this, first thought that she'd turned away and missed the lucky escape, but this time it was the look on my face which told the story, because I thought the dog to be dead in the road.
BTW, before you get too romantic about my ex, another car had seen the first half of what i'd what I'd seen, and the female driver was in tears. I told her the dog had walked away apparently unharmed, I then got accused of being "overly sympathetic" to this woman...