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Many a time I have wished I was driving a police car. I’d love to turn on a siren and pull over the drivers whose dogs are travelling loose and unprotected on the back of vehicles.
Often people don’t consider what can go wrong, therefore precautions aren’t taken. Then the inevitable happens; it is the human’s fault, not the dog’s.
It doesn’t matter whether you are going down the road 100m or you have a lengthy journey ahead; if your dog falls off the vehicle a broken limb is quite likely, and if he’s hit by another vehicle, death is pretty much guaranteed. At the very least, you may not know he has fallen off until you get to your destination. Your poor dog tried in vain to keep up as you sped into the distance. Will you ever find him again?
“My dog wouldn’t jump off,” you may say. But it doesn’t take much for him to lose his balance, especially the way some of you drive, or his kennel mate may knock into him causing ‘dog overboard’. Dogs seem to love standing with their front paws on the side of the deck and leaning precariously out so they can get a good view; little do they know of the death trap below.
I have seen some dogs whose owners have made an attempt to secure them on vehicles but it is just as dangerous. The rope or chain is too long. If the dog jumps or falls he will hang himself; if you were zooming along with the radio blaring and away with your thoughts, would you notice your dog hanging over the side? Trust me, he won’t last long.
Perhaps his collar is loose enough for it to slide off in that situation and your dog would drop to safety, but a split second later he is mangled by another vehicle.
The problem is easily solved by clipping him to a short chain intelligently placed to avoid any mishaps.
If you are the type of person who doesn’t give a damn because money grows on trees or insurance will cover mishaps, think for a moment how you will cope without a dog until you can find a replacement; good dogs are scarce and even if you are lucky enough to find one, it can understandably take anything from a couple of days to a couple of months before it will work for you.
Whilst we are on the subject I want to draw attention to the steel decks some of you have on your utes. One day when you have a moment or two, and your ute has been parked in the searing summer sun, take your shoes off and stand barefoot on the deck. If you are silly enough to do it you will probably fry the soles of your feet, yet you think nothing of your dogs forced to travel there.
I know their feet are tougher than ours but they do have their limitations; there is also the matter of the high temperatures rising from the piping hot deck.
Winter is just as miserable for unprotected dogs on the back of vehicles. Temperatures plummet, the rain beats down and wet muddy dogs are often subjected to many uncomfortable hours on the back of vehicles. Would you care to swap places?
Invest in your valuable assets – your work mates. Protect them with a canopy or dog box; park your vehicle with consideration in either the cooling shade or warming sun, whichever the season dictates.
Remember, the better you look after your dogs, the better and longer they will perform.
• Anna Holland is teaching people dog training. For more information www.annaholland.co.nz or Ph 06) 212 4848 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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