Beloved guide dog remembered in ceremony

Rod Christensen lost his soul mate in an instant Tuesday morning as he walked to catch a bus in north Spokane.

Blind since birth, Christensen, 59, was being led across Rosewood Avenue by Justice, a yellow Labrador retriever, when the guide dog’s harness was yanked away.

Christensen heard only the sound of a dump truck passing on Nevada Street, then honking from down the street.

Nine-year-old Justice was crushed by the rear wheels of the truck trailer and carried in its large treads for about a block before a motorist flagged the truck driver. Christensen was left standing in the middle of Rosewood – alone.

“You’re standing alone in the middle of that street and you’re ambushed, ambushed,” said Christensen, who has two grown children and lives alone in an apartment. “And everything is gone. The worst moments sometimes happen so quickly.”

On Friday, during a backyard memorial ceremony for Justice, Christensen read from a speech in Braille prepared the night before. “I’ve lost the only one I’ve ever loved completely,” he said. “I’ve lost the only one I’ve trusted implicitly. I’ve lost the only one I gave my heart to unconditionally.”

About 35 friends, including other guide dog owners, gathered to remember “Jussy,” the ever-friendly canine who guided Christensen for seven years.

The accident occurred about 8 a.m. Tuesday as Christensen was walking to a bus stop.

Christensen, who was in the process of moving from one apartment to another, said he was carrying a heavy military-surplus duffel, and Justice was walking about an inch from his leg. The dog was hit by a Bark Boys Landscape Supplies truck trailer, according to a police report.

The report lists Gerald Larson, 53, of Spokane Valley, as the driver. He could not be located Friday for comment, and no further information was immediately available from police.

Under state law, the driver of a vehicle approaching a person using a white cane or guide dog “shall take all necessary precautions to avoid injury to such a pedestrian.”

“Any driver who fails to take such precaution shall be liable in damages for any injury caused such pedestrian,” the law states.

Chuck Phillips, president of Bark Boys, wouldn’t comment on the matter Friday morning or even confirm that one of his drivers was involved.

“I don’t have anything on my desk,” he said.

A search of recent Washington state district and municipal court records showed no traffic citations for Larson.

Christensen wants police to ticket Larson.

“There’s just no excuse for what happened,” he said. “No excuse.”

Christensen and a friend had to pay SpokAnimal $27 to get Justice’s remains so they could bury him. Justice’s silver chain collar hung on the inside of Christensen’s front door Friday.

Many of the friends at the memorial cried. Meanwhile, several guide dogs and puppies in training laid in the shade of chairs.

One friend joked that Justice wasn’t the only guide dog who recognized bus signs, but he was the only one who recognized liquor stores.

“I don’t know where he learned that,” Christensen said with a smile.

Justice led Christensen on a trip through the Grand Canyon and on a cruise to Mexico. They would walk for miles together on the Centennial Trail.

Savanas Xavier, a trainer at Northside Fitness, where Christensen would exercise with Justice at his side, called Justice an “amazing, amazing dog” who led Christensen through the maze of machines.

“He’s an inspiration,” Xavier said of Christensen.

Christensen, who previously owned two other guide dogs, pledged during the ceremony never to replace Justice. He and the dog were a “perfect match,” he said.