Wanna Go For A Ride?
I just saw a posting on FB this morning that had to do with a subject that is one of my biggest pet peeves. A dog was killed when his owner was in a car accident, something that the owner never thought could happen. The dog was in the back seat but was not tethered or in a crate. I drive down the road and I see a car with a dog riding on an owners lap while driving or in the front passenger seat or moving about the car! These are all very dangerous practices. Think about it you wear a seatbelt to keep you safe, you have an airbag, your children wear seat belts, are in car seats and are in the back seat! Why to keep them safe from the airbag. These practices should be also followed for your beloved pet, a member of the family! There are several reasons for this, a pet moving around the car is a distraction as bad if not worse than texting. Another reason is that a dog that is not belted or in a crate that is secure will become a weapon if you get into an accident. Even a minor accident can become serious for both you and your pet. Why because your pet is now a flying object that could hit you or a passenger in the car, this could mean a potential head injury for anyone in the car including your pet. Another reason to keep your pet seat belted or in a crate is if you are in an accident where you are injured your pet will not be able to run out of the vehicle and become lost when help arrives. Or in the case of a very protective pet the EMT’s will not be hurt when they try to help you!
So what do you do about this? It’s simple, there are a lot of products out there that help to keep your pet safe in a car. For cats a crate that you can seatbelt to the seat so it does not slide around the seat or become a missile in the case of a car accident. The crate will also work for dogs especially the ones that like to run around the inside of the vehicle. There are also harnesses that are designed to attach to the seat belt in your vehicle keeping your pet like your child in one spot. Also available on the market are booster seats which allow your smaller dog to sit up higher and be able to see out the window. When purchasing one of these make sure it has previsions for attaching the dog to the booster seat.
Like your child the best spot for your pet is the back seat. Dogs can become severely injured by the airbag as can a small child! For those that hold their dog in their lap, holding a child in your lap when an airbag goes off can be fatal, it can be for your dog too!
So while we are talking about this there is one more aspect to consider! A dog riding with it’s head out the window. I know, I know dogs love to have their head out the window, their ears flapping in the wind! So out of those of you who believe this is best for your dog would you let your kids hang their heads out of the window? They like the fresh air too! Oh yeah it’s dangerous! They might get something in their eye, or hit their head on something! All the same reason you don’t let them hang their arm out the window too! They stay fastened in their seatbelt, with all body parts inside! So should your dog, it is also dangerous for your dog to ride with it’s head out the window. There is a list of things that could happen, yeah I know you have always allowed it and nothing has ever happened.
There is always a first time and hopefully it won’t be too tragic like the woman who lost her dog in a car accident!
Sandy's Grooming Spa specializes in dog grooming and cat grooming
serving pet owners through out Rockingham County.
