# Hit-and-run victim loved Mickey Mouse, travelling, working with huskies



## Geoff Empey (Jan 8, 2008)

I used to see this fella walking the dogs all the time, he was a really nice guy.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Gentle+giant+touched+many/1110440/story.html

Andy was 57 and, since a bad surgical episode in infancy, mentally disabled.

For him, it meant reading at a Grade 3 level and indulging in a child's amusements, like the Mickey Mouse telephone, a stand-up model, that rests near his bedside.

He loved all things Disney, and on his walls at home, there are autographed photographs from Chip 'n Dale -- "Andy, Have a good one!!" -- hooked rugs bearing the images of Mickey and Minnie, a plush Mickey Christmas stocking, and much, much more.

He liked to watch wrestling on television, after his own fashion.

His sister says Andy would sit in a big, comfy chair and call a buddy on the telephone and they would watch the ring drama together, hollering and laughing at the action.

Andy was six-foot-six inches tall and weighed close to 200 pounds.

Maybe that helped the passing motorist see him lying on the road. Maybe not.

On Dec. 1, near 8 p.m., Andy was struck by a vehicle near the corner of Merivale Road and Cleopatra Drive. He would not survive the night.

The police, at the family's request, did not release his name. But because Andy, a gentle giant of a man, touched so many lives, the news spread quickly and the hurt struck deep.

His sister agreed this week to tell his story.

Andy never had a conventional job, but he was dedicated to his chosen labour -- his "fun job" -- as a volunteer dog walker at the Ottawa Humane Society.

Five days a week, like clockwork, Andy would leave the house in the well-heeled neighbourhood of Country Place, off Merivale south of West Hunt Club, where he lived in the basement of a home owned by his sister and her husband.

He would leave at about noon, taking two buses to arrive a short walk from the shelter on Champagne Street. Once there, he generally walked four dogs, for about 15 minutes each.

Christine Wheeler is the manager of volunteers at the shelter. It has a roster of about 90 people who take turns walking the 15 or 20 dogs that might be awaiting adoption.

Some volunteers come once or twice a week. Many don't last more than a year or two. But not Andy. He had been volunteering for about eight years and showed no sign of slowing down.

"Andy was extremely dedicated to the dogs," said Ms. Wheeler. "He would come in any kind of weather -- rain, snow, sleet or shine."

Andy, in particular, loved huskies, with which the society has a special relationship.

Almost every Tuesday, young, stray huskies are sent south from Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, on direct flights. The Arctic community does not have a permanent animal shelter, said Ms. Wheeler.

So every week, typically in groups of three or four, the huskies would arrive in Ottawa. And into Andy's arms.

"Not all dog walkers want to work with huskies," said Ms. Wheeler. "You're dealing with strong, adolescent dogs. It's quite physically demanding."

Andy did not just walk the dogs, said Ms. Wheeler. He worked on basic training. He sat his big frame on the floor and gently handled them.

"He never felt any ownership over them," said Ms. Wheeler. "Andy loved them, but he was very excited when one of them got adopted."

Andy was known throughout the shelter. News of his death came as a shock.

"It was awful," said Ms. Wheeler. "We had over 20 staff at his memorial and that's a real testament to how admired he was."

His sister described an active man who was a creature of habit. He ate at the same Chinese restaurant every Saturday night. He skated and swam. He was on a curling team that had great success in the Special Olympics.

He liked playing mini-putt and going to the driving range. He also travelled a fair bit, taking organized tours to Orlando, Las Vegas, Prince Edward Island, Nashville and New York City.

His sister, his only sibling, was protective of him. Whenever he wanted to take transit to an unfamiliar destination, they would go together and take note of landmarks. Then Andy would travel on the bus and she would follow in the car, as a backup.

When he walked at night, he wore a mesh safety vest, with bright green stripes.

He also bowled, like on the night he died. On his cellphone, he called his sister when the game was over, alerting her that he was on his way home, a 1.5-kilometre walk.

He would never arrive.

Const. Alain Boucher explained that, in a typical hit-and-run, two things are often left as clues: debris from the car, or what is called "evidence transfer," such as bits of paint from the vehicle left on or near the victim.

Police found neither. They are still not sure, he added, exactly where the point of impact was and whether Andy might have crawled or rolled to where he was spotted by a passing motorist.

Witnesses report seeing a white Cadillac Escalade (a luxury SUV) on the scene just moments after the crash. At this point, police are only calling it a "vehicle of interest."

Const. Boucher is asking anyone with any information about the collision, however seemingly insignificant, to contact police.

The humane society has created a memorial fund in Andy's name. Details are available on the society's website.

"He made a huge difference, not only in the dogs' lives, but, you know, in ours," said Ms. Wheeler.

His sister, meanwhile, has his untouched Christmas gift -- a tear-off Disney calendar where you peel off each passing day. But not this year. Not this Andy. He marks time no more.


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## Mo Earle (Mar 1, 2008)

Very sad story-the person that hit him is going to have a heavy burden to carry whether they come forward or not.... but hopefully Andy has gone to help at Rainbow bridge now...


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