Do you secure your animals in your vehicle?

[speedog]

For the companion animal owners out there - do you secure your animals in your vehicle when they are with you in your vehicle? Either kennelled or belted in with a harness?

The reason I ask is I've always had concerns about companion animals being unsecured in a vehicle - they can become dangerous objects in a collision and they can also impede one's ability to properly operate a vehicle.

This came to the forefront today with the death of a motorcyclist on 4th Street NW right next to the Calgary North veterinary Clinic - the motorcyclist was NB on 4th Street NW and had an elderly driver turn left in front of him. Guy basically t-boned the senior's car and died on the spot - know this because my niece was second person on the scene and assisted in moving the motorcyclist's body into a recovery position. Also heard from some neighbour who over heard the police interviewing the elderly driver who was in the process of taking their small dog to that vet and it appears that the senior was distracted by the dog in their lap resulting in them turning directly across the path of the motorcyclist who had no time to react.

So if the senior's small dog had been in a harness and secured to a seatbelt or had been in a kennel (also secured), would this accident have occurred? Difficult to say but the probability of the situation unfolding as it did would have been most likely been quite a bit different.

All I know is that most pet owners do not secure their companion animals when those animals are in a moving vehicle - my cats are in a kennel that is secured as best as possible when they are in my vehicle but my experience as someone in the pet industry has shown me that this is not the norm - go to any dog park and just watch how many dogs get into/out of vehicles and aren't secured in any fashion. Yeah, they might be behind the rear seat in a closed of area (which is somewhat better) but they still aren't secured and even a 30-40 pound dog is going to be represent an impressive amount of unsecured weight in a vehicle that is all of a sudden in an accident - an unsecured weight that can easily take down a wire barrier or do even worse damaged if in the middle or front of a vehicle. Put it this way, I wouldn't want a 22 pound of sugar coming at me if my vehicle was in an accident and many dogs are at least that weight or more.

Anyhow, my thoughts are with both the dead motorcyclist's family and the senior and their family as well - this was a tragic accident that probably didn't have to happen. All around crappy deal.

[Hallowed_point]

Yep sure do!

[dr_jared88]

I can't say I secure my dog but he stays in the hatch behind the rear seat of our SUV. He is not allowed up front and typically just says down so he really isn't a distraction. It would be a pretty freak accident I would think to to cause him to come over the back seat to cause additional damage to an occupant.

Too be honest, I think the people with the little dogs on their laps hopping from seat to seat is way more of an issue.

[spike98]

I do not buckle my dog in either of our vehicles but he is restricted to the back seat and thats it. I did try buckling him in with a harness before but he would always get tangle in the thing and in a few instances almost choked himself. I do however understand the risk and as he is 16-18 lbs, i am fine with that.

[killramos]

No never have. From back of a pickup to front seat of a convertible my dogs have always jsut sat there.

I do understand that if something happened the dog would be toast though...

Edit:

I do actually kennel my cat but that's for protection of Upholstery :D

[E46..sTyLez]

RIP to the life lost, but I wouldn't start blaming accidents on loose pets. Other factors played a role in this collision I'm sure. You could easily make an argument against elderly drivers from this incident too...

I have a 115lb dog, and no..he is not secured in a cage etc in the vehicle with me. Of course everything is safer when secured, but you aren't going to secure a 40lb bag of rice or garden soil in a cage either are you?

I will however agree that your pet should not be on your lap when driving, that's just dumb. In fact, I'm willing to bet under certain circumstances, it would warrant a distracted driving fine etc.

[killramos]

Originally posted by E46..sTyLez

I will however agree that your pet should not be on your lap when driving, that's just dumb. In fact, I'm willing to bet under certain circumstances, it would warrant a distracted driving fine etc.

:werd:

[Kloubek]

Nope - I do not strap in my dog.

In my family CX9, he remains in the cargo area in the back. He knows he's not allowed to leave that area, and doesn't - hence no distraction running about the vehicle... though that wouldn't stop him from being a flying missile in the event of an accident.

When driving my offroader, he is free to go where he wishes - including the passenger seat. But unless he's super excited, he never interferes with my driving. At least, not via physical contact; his unique Staffy whining when overly excited is most certainly annoying and potentially a distraction.

He did try laying down in my lap when he was a puppy, but I put a quick end to that. You gotta use common sense....

[ercchry]

nope, im cool with it...

this is how she sits in the car

http://photos-b.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xpf1/1171978_676922572353137_43419190_n.jpg

and in the truck we flip up the back seats and she gets the entire floor for activities... also cant even see out the window in the truck when its like that. she usually just stands back there with her head on the middle arm rest and licks my elbow :rofl:

[Cos]

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[Canucks3322]

It fucking pisses me off so much when I see people driving with their god damn fucking dogs on their laps. ..

[speedog]

Originally posted by E46..sTyLez
RIP to the life lost, but I wouldn't start blaming accidents on loose pets. Other factors played a role in this collision I'm sure. You could easily make an argument against elderly drivers from this incident too...

I have a 115lb dog, and no..he is not secured in a cage etc in the vehicle with me. Of course everything is safer when secured, but you aren't going to secure a 40lb bag of rice or garden soil in a cage either are you?

I will however agree that your pet should not be on your lap when driving, that's just dumb. In fact, I'm willing to bet under certain circumstances, it would warrant a distracted driving fine etc.
This accident was the result of a driver being distracted by an animal on their lap. Yes, possibly the driver being elderly was another contributing factor but the driver did say to the police that she was paying attention to her dog in her lap and turned left without looking. Sight lines north-south at that location are very good unless the motorcyclist was excessively speeding (130kph or more) and even then, the sight lines are good. No skid marks from the motorcyclist - they hit the side of the senior's car at speed (50kph for that section).

With respect to securing companion animals as compared to 10kg bags of sugar - chances are that dog owners more often have a dog in their vehicle than a 10kg bag of sugar or a 40lb bag of rice. That said, any heavy items I transport in my vehicles are always in the very rear of my vehicle with as much vehicle structure (seats) possible between those items and myself. A 115 pound dog in a sudden emergency stop situation or roll over becomes a very impressive amount of uncontrolled mass - something that will easily snap a the neck of a human who is belted in.

[speedog]

Originally posted by Cos
+1

Also I never got how caging an animal was any safer. If anything, now you have a plastic and metal cage with a live animal it in floating around.
Secure the cage to a seatbelt or tie down points. The point is that an animal bouncing around in a secured small kennel space is less apt to be injured in an accident than if bouncing around in the cabin of a vehicle.

[01RedDX]

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[E46..sTyLez]

Originally posted by speedog

This accident was the result of a driver being distracted by an animal on their lap. Yes, possibly the driver being elderly was another contributing factor but the driver did say to the police that she was paying attention to her dog in her lap and turned left without looking.

My point was that the individual has a lot to do with it. For instance, I would never let a dog distract my driving. My little boy threw a half eaten mushy cheese string at my face before, followed by a yogurt tube, and I just starred straight forward until I could turn off into a parking lot to clean myself up. Some people realize how import safe driving is, some do not.

Plus, I already agreed dog on lap=retarded.

My dog has SHIT in the backseat while driving on deerfoot before! Still just kept on trucking until I could pull over.

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/226639/getting-st-smell-out-of-integra/

[speedog]

Update - motorcyclist did lock up brakes for about 20' per news reports and I can verify this as I just drive through there and saw the skid marks. Apparently the rider suffered massive head injuries when he impacted the car.

[clem24]

I used to put a harness on a dog but after reading about them, decided against them.

http://dogtime.com/do-pet-seat-belts-really-work.html

There was a video of a slo-mo crash and in all cases, the dog fared much worse while strapped in, and in a few of the vids, the dummy dog actually got decapitated by the seatbelt/harness combo.

My dogs are in the hatch in my car. My little dog likely won't become a projectile as she's too small to come over the seat, but my big dog, not so sure. Safest place is definitely either a kennel, or as in the case of my old Subaru, a wire separator. This one mounted into factory holes through bolts, so no chance of it coming loose. However, the 'universal' fit ones (that only use the pressure to keep them in place), I would never trust in the event of a crash, and if anything, would probably serve as a projectile in the event of an accident.

In our minivan though, our dogs are right on the seat. I should probably put them in the hatch...

[codetrap]

In the truck bed, yes. Inside the truck no.

[heavyfuel]

I let my cat run around in my truck when I have to take him to the vet. Sometimes he gets on the dash and obstructs my view as I'm texting and/or eating at the wheel lol

[Masked Bandit]

We don't currently have an animal but I don't take issue with them being "loose" in the car if they are not sitting on the driver's lap. That's the situation that pisses me off, when you see someone (usually older person) driving around with a dog in their lap obstructing the driver. Just effin' stupid.

[AE92_TreunoSC]

Demon puppy!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j264/burwood69/DSC_0516.jpg (http://s82.photobucket.com/user/burwood69/media/DSC_0516.jpg.html)

Mainly to protect my interior. But also for his sake, although if we are rear ended, he's in the crumple zone I suppose.

They have crash rated cages you bolt to the floor, but then you have a huge cage bolted to the floor.

I watched a bunch of tests with the doggie seat belts to watch them fail on most collisions.

I think animals are screwed in most accidents, but you want to give them the best chance of survival by not having them on your lap, ideally in the center or the rear secured.

[spikerS]

I never bothered securing my dogs in the cab or in the box. My dogs used to ride in the box 100% of the time unsecured, but then I had smart dogs. Last few would ride in the cabin, but would never be in the front. they would lay down in the back.

[blairtruck]

my 40lb staffy sits on the back seat. i have rear buckets one with a car seat and one folded down with a blanket on it for the dog/groceries. he hates being in a vehicle so he just lays and shivers.
maybe 3-4 times a year he goes in truck,

[redline]

we have a harness but do not use it enough...

[topsecret]

My dog sits in the back seat of both vehicles, he knows not to come up front, and just lays down for the entire trip!

[Amysicle]

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[zieg]

I'm always amazed at how often I see these morons driving around with a dog on their lap. :guns:

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by speedog

This accident was the result of a driver being distracted by an animal on their lap. Yes, possibly the driver being elderly was another contributing factor but the driver did say to the police that she was paying attention to her dog in her lap and turned left without looking.

So in other words, the dog had nothing to do with. It was just a another senior which shouldn't be on the road.

I suspect the senior was indeed looking at oncoming traffic, but misjudged the cyclist's distance due to as vision problem. Or, because of a vision problem, the senior didn't even see the cyclist at all. Then of course, blame something / someone else.

[speedog]

Originally posted by Seth1968


So in Seth1968's words, the dog had nothing to do with. It was just a another senior which shouldn't be on the road.

I suspect the senior was indeed looking at oncoming traffic, but misjudged the cyclist's distance due to as vision problem. Or, because of a vision problem, the senior didn't even see the cyclist at all. Then of course, blame something / someone else.
Fixed that for you.

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by speedog

Fixed that for you.

You said the senior admitted that she wasn't looking while making the turn. How is that the dogs fault?

[finboy]

When we had cats, always in a kennel with seat belt. We are looking at a dog in the future, definitely always strapping it in (again, likely in a kennel). This isn't so much for animal safety as it is for my own, I also refused to let any of my passengers ride in my car without a seatbelt for the same reason. Having been in a rather serious t-bone accident, I saw first hand the forces that throw things around in a vehicle, and having a heavy, loose object flying around inside is VERY dangerous.

[JustinMCS]

I don't get why people don't secure their pets when driving. What if you got into an accident? It would be like you didn't strap in your child and now they're a missile coming through the windshield.

We have two dogs and both have their own kennel in the back of the SUV.

"The most frequently asked question regarding the new law is whether pets are specifically addressed by the law. Here's the answer! In situations where the driver becomes too involved with their pet, police could reasonably argue that the distraction is comparable to the specifically banned activities of reading, writing and grooming and lay a charge."

[Tik-Tok]

We have a leashed tied through one of the hatch area eye hooks on both our suv and wagon. We just attach this to his collar, that way he can't get into the back seat.

Won't protect him at all if we get into a head-on collision, it'll probably break his neck if it's hard enough, but it keeps him out of our way, and also stops him from jumping unexpectedly out the back when we open the hatch.

[R-Audi]

My bulldog sits in the passenger side footwell.. not a whole lot of room to move anywhere and its an easy way of keeping all of the dog hair in one spot.

[Seth1968]

"Do you secure your animals in your vehicle"?

Most pet owners state their pet is la child to them. If so, the question could be, "Do you secure your child in your vehicle"?

Now with that being said, it cracks me up every time I see a dog's head out the wind, tongue flapping , and appearing to be in some endless orgasmic ecstasy. I think I'm envious:)

[E46..sTyLez]

Originally posted by Seth1968
"Do you secure your animals in your vehicle"?

Most pet owners state their pet is la child to them. If so, the question could be, "Do you secure your child in your vehicle"?

Now with that being said, it cracks me up every time I see a dog's head out the wind, tongue flapping , and appearing to be in some endless orgasmic ecstasy. I think I'm envious:)

If pets were regarded as children, people wouldn't euthanize their pets.

[nixon45]

Originally posted by heavyfuel
I let my cat run around in my truck when I have to take him to the vet. Sometimes he gets on the dash and obstructs my view as I'm texting and/or eating at the wheel lol

I see no harm in this unless your cat were to knock over your beer. That would be cause for concern!

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by E46..sTyLez


If pets were regarded as children, people wouldn't euthanize their pets.

Worthy of a new topic.

A topic that the hypocrites shy away from.

[finboy]

Originally posted by E46..sTyLez


If pets were regarded as children, people wouldn't euthanize their pets.

OR if people were allowed to put suffering relatives out of their misery like we afford our pets...

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by finboy


OR if people were allowed to put suffering relatives out of their misery like we afford our pets...

I could on and on again about just that, but dogma and forcible emotion has precedence...with guns.

[BlueHaloGirl]

I don't secure my dog in my car. She has the hatch and that's where she stays. She knows she's not allowed to come forward.
In the truck she has the back seat, we put the seats up and she has her pillow and she just sleeps or sits and looks out the middle and the front window. Again she knows she's not allowed in the front seat.

[Unknown303]

I secure my cats in kennels in my truck, that way when I go full Tokyo Drift they stay put.

[Graham_A_M]

This is how I'm currently rollin' on my way to Saskatchewan, with Mr. Shithead
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii312/Graham_A_M/Mobile%20Uploads/20140930_141540_zpsygajb3mh.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Graham_A_M/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20140930_141540_zpsygajb3mh.jpg.html)