A very sad story inspired this post. I know that the moms on this site know all this, so if you can help me spread the following, I would deeply appreciate it.
Please remember to buckle up your dog when traveling this summer. It's safer for the dog and yourself. There are inexpensive buckles at pet stores.
Your dog should never - never - never - ride in the back of the truck.
Last week I was driving home with a neighbor heading north on the I-17. I noticed a medium black terrier in the back of a pick up truck. I was immediatly concerned as he was perching his little feet on the side of the truck. I said a little prayer for him.
Moments later the dog flew out of the truck into the 80 mph traffic of the freeway. When he landed he was scared but OK. My neighbor who was driving stopped the car and got out to try to save the dog from on-coming traffic. Despite his efforts the poor baby was struck anyhow. He died immediatly.
The owners kept driving - they were not even aware of what happened. We stood with the body for a while until the police came to pick him up. The owners never came looking for this poor pup. He had a red collar with hearts on it but no ID.
BTW, I highly reccommend pet chips they are great because if the tag falls off there is an alternate.
This dog did not need to die. Please rember safety as it relates to your dog and others. In this instance we were lucky that the dog did not smash into another car's windsheild and cause further death and injury.
Thanks for spreading the word.
How terribly sad! I always
How terribly sad! I always fear for animals I see riding in cars that way as well. God bless that poor little guy. Makes me sick....
That is horrible! Why do
That is horrible! Why do people put dogs in the back of pickups anyway?
An interesting point in
An interesting point in reply... It is illegal to have your dog in the back of a truck. People are fine, but dogs are a no no. The reason is because Arizona is a farming state and you can't outlaw transporting farm hands in the back of trucks. When I was a teenager, I thought it was cool to tote my dog in the back of my truck. I had a close call with her and from then on she was in the cab with me.
sure, fine, whatever
There are no laws governing
There are no laws governing securing animals in vehicles. The state of Arizona can't even pass laws limiting passengers in truck beds.
Mom of teenage boys!
How horrifying! What a
How horrifying! What a terrible event to witness. I almost hit a dog about 20 years ago and I was a wreck! I bumped him on his back hip and he was okay but wow...I cried and cried. I felt so guilty.
There is zero excuse for an animal to be loose in the back of a truck on a city freeway. You can buy a travel crate and keep the dog in the cabin. Or if you need room, the crate can be bound & secured in the bed.
You are very kind to have stopped.
Mouse_tales is a discussion leader in the East Valley for arizonamoms.com. She spends most of her days juggling her duties as a (bio & step) mom, wife, and business owner. Her three little kittens range in age from 5 to 13.
My dogs drive in the cab
My dogs drive in the cab with me. Dispite the dog hair, licking, and trying to get into my lap (2 huge lab/doberman mixes). They always ride in the back of the cab (extended cab). Would kill me to loose my dogs that way.
Lisa - Mom to her spunky little Scarlette
So sorry you had to witness
So sorry you had to witness that. And so sorry for the dog too. I work in animal welfare, mostly in a shelter setting and you wouldn't believe how often this kind of thing occurs. Most of these dogs are hit by cars and the ones who do make it to the shelter rarely have any I.D. I'll never understand why people don't think of putting a collar and/or I.D. on their pet.... yes, microchips are even better. We see between 100-200 animals come into the shelter every day and few have any kind of I.D. This means that only about 20-30% of these animals go home, the others have to hope they'll be adopted. Oops... didn't mean to go off on my tangent. Just reminded me that so many of the problems we have to deal with are so easily prevented....
Hope you all have a safe and peaceful weekend~
Stefanie
Ladies - I thought of our
Ladies - I thought of our discussion today while in traffic, driving behind a responsible driver, who had a truck, and had taken the time to use a crate + straps to secure their dog in the back. The straps were very tight and secure.
I felt myself being hopeful that maybe that person was somebody we had touched by our discussion...
We can but hope...
Mouse_tales is a discussion leader in the East Valley for arizonamoms.com. She spends most of her days juggling her duties as a (bio & step) mom, wife, and business owner. Her three little kittens range in age from 5 to 13.