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Dr. Delay: 'Arrive Alive' should include family dog
By Dr. Delay
Lorrie Lykins
Kudos to the Pinellas County Commission for considering a change to its animal services ordinance which will outlaw transporting unrestrained animals in open air vehicles countywide.
The commission is expected to schedule a public hearing for October 7 to address the issue.
Surely you've seen dogs riding in the open bed of pick-up trucks, sometimes running the length of the bed as the truck moves along the road, or perched on its hind legs, its front legs on the side for a better view of the world rushing by.
Most dogs seem to have a ball sniffing the breeze as the wind blows their ears around, but all it takes is one abrupt application of brakes, a pothole, or even a minor fender-bender, and Fido can be launched airborne, with tragic results.
A non-stop parade of such idiocy can be seen on weekends on the roads approaching area recreation hubs, especially those that offer dog-friendly beaches and parks or boat launch facilities. Last weekend, while at Ft. Desoto, I observed no less than two dozen such vehicles in half an hour on the Pinellas Bayway headed out to the dog park, no doubt.
One driver even had two dogs riding in a boat that was being pulled on a trailer toward the camp grounds.
Seems like a no-brainer that people and animals do not belong in the back of open truck beds. But as a law enforcement friend of mine said when I asked about the proposed ordinance change, "You just can't legislate common sense, " adding that most crash scenes he has responded to in the past twenty years that involved pets riding loose in open truck beds almost always resulted in fatal injuries for the animals.
He has the same take on drunk drivers and drivers who fail to secure children properly in safety seats: Some folks just seem to live in a constant state of denial, refusing to consider that today might be the day that you pull out of your driveway and a terrible thing happens on the way to wherever you're headed. But maybe the threat of citation along with a fine will inspire some folks to be more conscientious when it comes to caring for the animals who depend on their owners to keep them safe.
The Humane Society of the United States says, "If you must transport your dog in a pickup truck, put him in the cab in a travel crate or other pet carrier. If you have an extended cab, have your pet ride in the back portion of the cab where he will be away from the front windshield. It is not safe for your dog to ride in the bed of a pickup even with a restraint.
The HSUS knows of no brand of harness that has been proven safe in this situation. In fact, there have been cases where dogs restrained by leashes or harnesses have been strangled or dragged after being thrown from a truck bed."
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