I am the proud owner of a brandy-spanking new (to me, anyway) pickup. She’s a 1984 Jeep J-10 longbed with a regular cab.
I am wondering how I can safely carry Spot in my pickup. He’s a 60 pound Dalmatian/pointer mix.
Can he ride in the front seat with me when I have no human passenger? Should I use a harness? If so, what kind?
Is there some sort of carrier that I can build or purchase that would allow me to safely carry him in the bed? Does it matter whether there is a cap on the truck? (There isn’t one now, but I might get one.)
In some states it’s illegal to drive with an un-secured dog in the car (I’m sure pickup cabs are included where this is applicable).
Your local decent pet shop will know, and they’ll have harness or crates. I’ve seen setups with a secured ring in the bed to hook a leash to, but I’ve also heard of dogs getting thrown (or jumping) over the side and being hanged, so if you go that route make sure it’s a sufficiently short lead. A crate or cage-like setup would be prefereable, in case of accident, if you’re going to put him in the back.
But find a decent independent pet store, where you’ll be able to talk to someone who has more experience than the pet superstore highschool kids, and they should be able to give a good idea of both local requirements and options.
A crate that is secured to the bed of the truck is safest. I would think a plastic crate would be better than a wire one. Special harnesses with loop to put the seatbelt through are also available, but I don’t think they are quite as safe as a secured crate.
Spot is no more safe in your cab than an usecured 60 lb. child. I have seen a leashed dog go over the bed wall and hang himself, so that’s out too. The only safe method is a carrying cage secured to the truck bed, especially if you plan to go off-road with him.
You might try a sporting goods store. I’ve seen a few nice
dog carriers for hunters that are built to fit a pick-up bed.
The neighbor down the street put their dog in the back of their pick-up truck while driving to do landscaping jobs. They were driving down a major road, and the dog jumped out of the truck, they dragged it(it was attached to the truck by a leash) for about 5 minutes or so until someone noticed. The dog had the padding on it’s paws completely ripped off, not to mention a multitude of other injuries.
It’s my opinion these people should not have two large rottweilers. These dogs are absolutely viscious, since they rarely ever socialize with humans, and have been trained as “attack dogs”. The dogs are always outside, and stuck in a small space while their owners are out landscaping for 14 hours a day.
Anyway, I wouldn’t put my dog in the back of the truck
>>I would just like to commend you on caring. I see so many people who have dogs who obviously would rather have a goldfish that it just sickens me. <<
Are you saying the dog would rather be with a gold fish or a gold fish would rather be with a dog?
GB, if your dog will sit on the front seat, you might be able to get a harness that is attached to the seatbelt (you would need to have a shoulder belt). I need to look into that myself. If I take my dog anywhere in the truck (only vet app’ts), he is behind the seat (extended cab). He can’t go anywhere in a sudden stop, but I suppose he could go sideways in an accident.
That’s just my pet phrase for people who have dogs but don’t have the commitment to care for their dogs. They bring a dog into their life but then act like they expect it to be as easy to take care of as a goldfish.
A catalog my father used to get had a bed liner with a slide that ran down the center of it from cab to nearly the end of the bed. To the slide was attached a 2’ or so leash, which would attach to the dog’s harness. The dog has full run of the bed but can’t get close enough to the sides to jump/fall out.
I wonder how that would compare to a crate bolted to the floor? Either way the poor animal is going to get jolted around in an accident.
Thanks for the advice thus far and the kind words.
It sounds like a plastic crate secured to the bed will be the best option. I will look in the hunting store. (Great idea, BTW) Fortunately, Spot likes being in a crate.
Gunslinger: I had to ask my husband what an FSJ was. :o I am a total newbie to this Jeep thing. But boy is she gooorgeous! (and the dog ain’t bad, either!)
We finally got around to taking Spot for a ride in the truck. We decided to carry him in the cab with a harness. (My husband was concerned about him getting chilled if we kept him in a crate in the back. We are getting a cap, but my husband is concerned about the exhaust fumes.)
So we got him a doggie seat-belt harness, and I am pleased to report that it worked out rather well. It is a bit crowded in the cab with Jeff and Spot and me, but Spot seemed to like it just fine. I think he liked riding with us instead of in the back, like he did in the station wagon. He especially liked it when I opened the triangle windows so the air blew on him. I guess it was like doggie smell-o-vision.
The one problem is that if he is in the middle seat, there is only a lap belt, and you are supposed to use the harness with a 3-point belt, but my husband is cooking up a way to anchor it properly.
If anybody has other/additional thoughts, please post them.
Thanks again for all your suggestions.
