No, this isn’t yet another story about a dog locked in a sweltering car on a hot summer day. Kudos to you, the dog’s owner, for that, I guess.
But, lady, leaving your dog in a convertible with the top down probably wasn’t the best plan, either. You know why? Because as soon as you were out of sight, little Cosmo spotted a patch of grass across the parking lot and decided to take a little potty break while he was waiting for you to finish your grocery shopping.
I saw him jump out of the convertible as I was leaving the store, so I waited for him to finish his business, then spent a few minutes trying to cajole him close enough to snag his collar, wincing every time he ran into the traffic lanes (I’m pretty sure he thought it was a game, but it wasn’t a very fun one for me). Luckily the drivers, understanding the situation, were all kind enough to stop until I could catch him. (In fact, I finally got him as he crossed in front of a patiently idling car.)
When I took him in the store and they kindly paged you, your first words upon seeing him were “I just KNEW he was going to jump out of the car” followed by laughter at little Cosmo’s oh-so-amusing antics (that little scamp!!).
Lady, you wouldn’t have been laughing if I hadn’t managed to stop the first car that didn’t see him (he was a little bitty Lhaso-type-dog) when he ran out from between two parked cars into the main driving lane.
If you have to go to the store and the dog is in the car, GO HOME and drop the dog off!! Don’t leave him locked in a hot car with the windows rolled up, sure thing, but don’t leave him in a convertible with the TOP DOWN so that he can jump out and run off at will. And then when he DOES do it, learn a freakin’ lesson about pet safety instead of thinking it’s funny.
I’m glad you were such a nice person, deborak and rescued the dog. Most people would have shrugged and gone about their business.
The town I grew up in made an ordinance, if a dog was going to ride in the bed of a truck, it had to be “secured” either by a leash, or by a cage bolted in place. (Farmers around here have working dogs.) I think they made the ordinance even stricter since I left town. I don’t think leashes are allowed now, because the dog could jump out and get killed if the truck is moving.
Oh, and people aren’t allowed to ride in the backs of trucks at all now. You can get fined for it.
Thanks, but t’weren’t nothin’…I couldn’t let the little guy get squished, and he was pretty clueless about the concept of parking lots and moving cars.
I was just so annoyed by the owner…I expected her to explain how well-trained he was, how he knew not to jump out of the car and she just couldn’t believe it, and she’d know better next time…something, anything other than laughter, like the whole episode was just so darn cute.
I’ve worked for vets before and know of one german shepherd puppy who was strangled when he jumped out of the back of a truck…with the leash secured to the inside of the truck. And more than one dog who was severely injured or killed when it jumped/fell out of the back of a truck, or the open window of a car, while it was moving. And the owners always thought the dog would know better.
I hope you got thanked. Sounds almost like your deed got unnoticed.
I think if I actually did leave the dog in a convertible - top down - I’d make sure he was leashed and attached to something in the car very tightly. Then he could stay, he’d be cool, but he couldn’t go anywhere.
Just make certain the windows are up as a preventative measure, just in case poochie decides to jump out of the car and strangles itself because the leash is too short. (Having the leash long enough for the dog to touch the ground defeats the purpose, and it could get smooshed by someone parking beside your car.)
I saw one of those idiots yesterday. This poor golden retriever in the back of the truck going down the freeway at 55, with the fucking door down. The dog was loosely tied, but as we all know, dogs don’t chew ropes, and they don’t break. Didn’t even have to jump out, that dog was terrified…
I was scared enough.
Some people don’t deserve dogs.
A friend of mine, a plumber, brought his dog along to most of his jobs. She was always tied in the back of the truck when they were on the move - they’d fashioned a rail (using PVC piping) that ran the length of the bed that the chain was attached to (from a harness, not a collar) so she could scamper the length of the truck without fear of falling or leaping off.
Although putting dogs in the back of open pickups is illegal (in most places), I don’t think it’s always an awful thing to do. There are some - not all, but some - dogs who enjoy the ride and are smart enough to know not to jump out. This only - only! - works if the vehicle is traveling relatively slowly, say 25 mph or less. Go faster, and the dog can get spooked.
I’ve never done it and I don’t plan on ever doing it, but there are some breeds of dog who can be trained to staystaystay in the truck.
dantheman I do think putting dogs in the back of a pickup truck is a bad thing to do. Even if a dog is normally well behaved they still might have a stroke of bad luck. For example one of my cousins had a dog that he let ride in the back of his truck for many years. Until one day the dog saw a truck coming from the other direction on the road and decided it would be a good idea to jump between the two. Lets just say that the dog almost made it, but ended up getting hit hard by the trailer the other truck was carrying. The dog got hurt pretty bad almost died, but somehow held on and lived on a couple more years.
Most people would have shrugged and gone about their business.
And the owners always thought the dog would know better.