Monday, June 30, 2008

Stupid Dog Owners

Please, dog owners. Don't ever do this:

I followed this truck for over a mile at speeds of up to 45 mph. Not only is the dog loose in the bed of the truck, the tail gate isn't even closed.


If the driver hits the brakes hard and the dog tumbles out, who will run over him? Me.


Thanks God, they turned off before I had a heart attack.

9 comments:

rgblog said...

I guess that person in the truck never read the following article:

For those who can't leave your pets behind here are some travel tips so visit your local pet supplies store:

• Make sure your pet's shots are up-to-date.
• Do not administer any medication or treatments without first discussing them with your veterinarian.
• Obtain documentation from your vet to show that your pet's vaccinations are current, and that your companion is healthy.
• If you are traveling to another country, check with that nation's embassy.
• Make sure your pets are wearing collars with current Identification tags.
• Pack any medications your pet may be taking.
• If you are traveling by automobile, think about the animal's safety as well as your own.
• Do not leave an animal unattended in a vehicle.
• Check with the Airline Carrier for specific requirements when traveling with your pet.
• Try to book a direct flight to your destination to eliminate additional stress by airline transfers.
• Call your hotel/motel ahead to confirm that pets are accepted and if any additional fees are required.

Good Dog Panda!!

NCmountainwoman said...

Here in the mountains, dogs (and young children) are often riding unprotected in the back of pickups. I cringe every time I see them. Current law allows even small children to ride in the back if there is a 12 year-old to watch them.

A bill recently introduced in the NC House bars children under age 16 from riding in the back of a truck. I contacted my Respresentative to have dogs included.

There is so much opposition about barring kids from riding in the back the bill will probably not pass. And they would never tell a man he can't put his dog in the back of the truck.

It's a shame...all these steep grades and winding roads are an invitation to disaster.

Lisa said...

I would like to point out another dangerous habit - BLOGGING WHILE DRIVING.

Kathi said...

Sis: I was not BLOGGING while driving, I was TAKING PICTURES while driving, which, I admit, is a pretty stupid thing to do. BUT, I would never to that if I had my dogs in the car!

NC: I know, a law preventing you from driving with your dog in the truck bed will never pass in Ohio, either. I can't believe it is OK to drive with CHILDREN in the back of the truck. What about booster seats and seat belts?

I once had a dog patient who was riding in the back of the truck, and the people thought they were doing a good thing by tying him to the hitch in the middle of the bed. That would have worked if they had used a shorter rope. As it was, they gave him just enough length that when he jumped/fell over the side, he was dragged along for a while. OUCH!!! He was a hurtin' puppy for sure.

~Kathi

Anonymous said...

Ok, how sick is this of me? I let my boys ride occasionally in the back but I won't let the dogs!!

Right now, I am vanless, all we have is Robert's p/u truck. I've been hauling the boys (Ethan and friends) from our house to another one down the road, just once in awhile. I only go on the back way, they have to sit up under the back window and I go really, really slow (much to their dismay!) I don't especially like doing it, although they love riding back there but I've had to a few times recently. But I won't let them keep the dogs back there with them. They ride up front with me in the air conditioned compartment!

Anonymous said...

Ok, more on this. I was thinking about this as I was coming home today. I know safety is an issue and rightly, it should be. No little kids and no pets should ride in back. Technically, I know no one should.

But I remember...riding bikes all summer day long with no helmet.
..Jumping on trampolines with no safety net around it and no one worrying about broken bones.
...roller skating on the road without 50lbs of safety equipment.
...riding in the back of a station wagon with the rear window rolled all the way down and no seatbelts.
...and the best memory of all, riding from my aunt and uncles' in Bangor all the way to Acadia with my sister-in the back of the pickup while the 4 adults rode in the cab. We had a huge sleeping bag to sit on, we rode for 10 hours that day in the back, all the way to Acadia and all around the park, singing old songs at the top of our lungs. (Mairzie Doats and Tell Me Why and Grandma's Feather Bed and We Were Just On The Road and Whiskey Basin Blues). We were about 15 and 11 and still remember it as the greatest days ever.

Susan Gets Native said...

God, I hate people sometimes.

Kathi said...

Oh, Holly, I know, you're right. I mean, when I was growing up, the "seat belt" was my dad's strong arm reaching across and holding me back when he hit the brakes hard. (He also taught me how to drive with no hands, just my knees on the steering wheel, but that's another stupid thing.) I never wore a bicycle helmet or knee and elbows pads, and I have ridden in the back of a pick-up truck before, and I'm still alive.

Yet, I get crazy when I see people driving with their little poodle on their lap or when I see a dog hanging half-way out the car window, ears flying in the breeze, thinking how easy it would be for the dog to jump or fall out, and about the odds of it getting a corneal ulcer from wind-borne dirt and debris.

~Kathi

Anonymous said...

That's why my kids are allowed to ride in the truck bed but my dogs aren't, lol. I don't like it either - and Lucy isn't allowed on my lap as I drive, much as she wants to be. My dad didn't teach me to drive with my knees. But he did let me 'drive' sitting on his lap when I was probably only 6 or so.

I look (sometimes) at what precautions we have to take now for everything and think it's no wonder kids don't want to do anything outdoors. All the spontaneous, dangerous joy of being a free-wheelin' kid has been taken away. We had a trampoline for 3 years-kids loved it, used it literally every day. Had to take it down or lose our homeowners insurance. 5 years later the boys still lament the loss of their 'toy'.