Personally, I think the guy should have been fined and let go. It was a fluke. There was no intent to kill the dog and the animal ran into traffic on its own. IMO, 3 years in prison for that is insane.
I love my animals and would protect them with all Ive got, but I wouldnt expect someone to serve prison time if they killed one of them.
I am all for protecting animals from abuse. What bothers me is that animals are now ending up with the same rights as humans, with similar punishments for people who abuse animals and people who abuse kids. Thats just fucked up, plain and simple. An animal is not a human and does not have human rights, nor do they deserve them. Its a sad day when a guy who accidentally kills a dog gets more time in prison than someone who kills a family while driving drunk. How is that justice?