Pet Auto Safety

One of the most traumatic events I have ever witnessed was on the highway as I was traveling from Austin to San Antonio, Texas. It was about six years ago on a bright sunny day and I was looking forward to the barbecue my sister was having at her home. There were numerous vehicles on the road but not enough to slow travel. As I was cruising along, a red pickup several car-lengths ahead caught my eye. The truck itself was not what captured my attention, it was the big dog in the bed of the truck. The dog was obviously happily enjoying the ride. His mouth was open, his tongue was hanging out, and the wind was rushing passed his face as he hung his head over the side. The dog looked like a German shepherd mix with mostly black fur and a few tan highlights on his ears, eyebrows, and muzzle. Like a German shepherd, he had the big pointed ears and long shepherd-shaped head and muzzle. He had a nice black coat and a long furry tail that curled over his back. He must have been loved because he looked healthy and happy. It’s too bad the owner’s didn’t consider the danger of their dog riding in the back an open pickup.

Not too long after I noticed the dog in the pickup, the pickup swerved violently, probably to avoid another car or something in the road. But in swerving out of the way, the beautiful dog flew out of the bed of the truck. He crashed onto the roadway and rolled helplessly into the oncoming traffic. I didn’t have time to notice if the dog survived the impact when a huge semi came along. Unable to avoid the dog without causing a wreck, the semi hit the dog and the dog rolled under several of its huge wheels. I gasped with horror at the sight and nearly gagged as I passed by the twisted and tangled body of the now obviously dead dog.

Now every time I see a dead dog on the side of the road, I wonder if it is the result of some other careless pet owner who never considered their pet’s safety on the road. If you have a dog that loves to ride in the truck as you take him to the lake or dog park, please use a tether to keep him restrained or purchase a topper for the back of the truck. You may be the best driver in the world, but you can’t predict the actions of other drivers. At any moment, you may have to slam on your breaks or be forced to swerve out of the way of another vehicle, and your dog could be lost to a terrible and tragic death.

Another thing to consider is that some cities in the US have regulations about dogs riding unrestrained in the back of a pickup. In order to abide by these city ordinances, buy a topper for your truck, keep the dog in a restrained carrier, or keep the dog restrained with a truck cross tether. The ordinance is not only for your pet’s safety, but for the safety of other people on the road as well. Had the driver of the semi decided to swerve to miss the dog, he could have hit another vehicle or rolled or jack-knifed his truck. A big rig such as that could have caused a serious and deadly accident for many. So drive safe and protect yourself and all the members of your family.

Missy is a sweet dog. She was rescued from the local shelter I used to work at. She was literally rescued since she was due to be euthanized when I offered to take her home as my own. She was only 6 months old at the time and very adorable. But the shelter was full and there was no room for her in adoption. Our shelter took in over a hundred animals a day in the summer months and we were lucky if 15 were reclaimed, if 15 were adopted, and if 15 were taken by various animal rescue groups. It was sad to say, but a lot of animals were euthanized every day at this shelter, as they are at many shelters all over the country. The shelters don’t do this by choice, I promise. They do it because there is no other alternative. Most of the animals that were euthanized were unadoptable because they were unhealthy, vicious, or just unsociable. But some of those animals would have made great pets.

Missy is such a great pet. She is well behaved and very lovable. I don’t know what I would do without her. Missy is an odd mix, probably greyhound/shepherd. She has the lean doe-like face of a greyhound and the coloring and black saddle-back of a German shepherd. To think that she was about to be put to sleep just because there are so many irresponsible pet owners out there who refuse to get their pet spayed or neutered and let their dogs roam the neighborhoods! If you aren’t going to be responsible for a pet, you should not even have one. So even though I don’t work at the animal shelter anymore, I am still a big advocate for spaying and neutering. And as an advocate for spaying and neutering, I want to encourage you do spay or neuter your dog or cat. Unless you are a professional breeder, you should not be breeding dogs. There are plenty of professional breeders out there and too many irresponsible breeders who breed dogs in puppy mills just to make money. So unless you know about breeding, PLEASE don’t contribute to the overpopulation of pets just to make a buck!