Agility Dog Association of Australia Ltd

How does your dog travel? ~ by Tracey Swan

So you’re heading out in your car with your dog. People with sedan or hatchback type cars open the door and in the dogs get. Others who drive utes or trucks often allow their dogs to travel on the trayback of the vehicle.

I have a couple of questions I would like you to answer if you put your dog on the back of a ute or truck or have friends and family who do so:

1. Does your dog have its own crate / pen to travel in?

2. Do you tether your dog onto the vehicle?

3. Do you allow your dog to travel untethered in the back?

For those of you who answered YES to questions 2 and 3. I’d like to tell you a story of a very scary thing I saw happen to a dog that was “safely tethered on the back of a truck” over the Christmas break.

I was heading home from shopping and as I was waiting to go through a roundabout a small truck came through with one of their dogs dangling off the side of the truck. I followed the vehicle, beeped and flashed my headlights and waved my arms around until the finally pulled over. When they did we raced to the side of the truck to rescue the dog. We lifted the dog up and found there was a lot of blood coming from its back paws and tail.

We rushed to the vets and they took the dog straight into the consultation room. The dog had lost the toenails from its back paws and had a large lump/bruise on its hip. The pads of its back paws had to be stitched into place and it was going to need about 5cm of its tail amputated Apart from that she was going to be OK.

The dog was a 6 month old female Ridgeback Cross who had been tied to the centre bar of the back window with a second dog. Both dogs were wearing their travel harnesses. Neither of the owners dreamed that there was any way that what happened could did. They thought they were being responsible and caring for their dogs by making sure they were secured in the middle of the vehicle. And as there were large tool boxes either side of the truck they did not realise that the dogs could reach the edges.

They had not been travelling fast. They did not stop or swerve suddenly. It happened when they were just driving normally down a normal street like we all do.

I guess what I am asking is that if you tie your dog to the back of your vehicle make sure that no part of its body can reach the edge of the tray. NOT EVEN ITS NOSE!!!

I know that all dogs enjoy ‘breezing’ and often you see their cute furry heads peeking around the edge of the ute cab. But please realise that if their nose can reach the edge it means that their body could also be swung around and dangle over the side too!

I have seen this happen to another dog which was ‘breezing’ on the back of a ute and was tethered by its collar. When it fell over the side it broke its neck then slipped out of the collar and was hit by a following vehicle. Sadly to say there was no happy ending that time.

If you don’t tie your dog up at all and let it ‘free range’ on the back, PLEASE, PLEASE think about what may happen if your dog came off. People wear seatbelts in cars for safety so why not take care of your furry friend too.

Tracey Swan

Note:  There are laws in Australia regarding the safe transportation of companion animals.  Contact your local Council and State Government to obtain a copy of the appropriate legislation.

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