The bottom line is (legally) your dog is property, short and simple! In an automobile, the dog is cargo. Legally? Transport the dog any way you want, like any other item in your automobile. How many secure Pepsi cans tossed on the floor of your car, books in the back seat, kids toys left in the back window?
My first wreck I had when I was 18 years old, I hit a tree laying across the road in the middle of a horrific thunderstorm at night. I had "stuff" in the back window, and when I slammed into that tree, all that "stuff" hit me in the back of the head. I learned then to make sure nothing would do that again.
On the other side of the coin, we pet owners don't view our pets as simple "property". To us they are our kids. So there is a balance between what is "safe" and what is just absolute stupidity in the way we transport our "kids."
I say this, only because the law makes it clear, pets are property. But, a good reminder of how vulnerable our pets are when being transported in a vehicle is a good reminder for all of us.
Thanks for posting!
