Everyday Dangers: The Car Ride
Things to watch out for and ways to make the car ride safe
By Devene Godau, CPDT-KA

For many dogs, the car ride is one of life's greatest joys! But joy can quickly turn to trauma or tragedy in certain circumstances that, for most of us, are unforeseen. But taking some simple precautions,
the car ride can remain safely joyful.

Automatic Car Windows

We were forwarded an e-mail about a dog named Blaze. Blaze's mom had always been aware of the dangers that an automatic car window present.

"I ALWAYS lock the main power lock on the console," she wrote. "If your dog steps on their window button - should they stand on the arm rest on the door - they will roll it up, or down and can fall out, or crush their neck. While they are doing this you CANNOT work the main power control and roll it back down if they are standing on it."

One evening, Blaze's mom and dad went for a drive and Blaze's dad was driving.

"I told him roll the windows down for the dogs. I forgot to tell him to lock them!!" she wrote. " …all of the sudden I hear her (Blaze) gasping. I look back and screamed at hubby to quit rolling the window up as her head was in it and he said `I'm NOT'. She was standing on it and I had to turn around and lift her foot off the controller as hubby couldn't override it by his. She was gasping for several minutes."

I have a personal horror story with automatic windows. The car I was driving had window controllers that you lightly tapped and it rolled all the way up. I had stopped at a drive through for some lunch. As I pulled out, I lightly touched the switch and went on my way, until I heard my dog scream and I realized his head was caught. I quickly hit the button again, and this time it rolled all the way down, and I was worried that because he was so frantic to get away from the pain that he would jump out of the window. I was able to grab a hold of his lead, and we pulled into a parking spot so we cold both recover.

So, words to the wise:

• Lock automatic windows, as Blaze's mom suggests.

• Be aware of where your dog is when rolling your windows up and
  down.

• An even better way to prevent any tragic accidents? Use a seatbelt
  or crate.

Airbags

My dog loves to sit in the front seat. And he looks so darn cute, riding shot gun. But then I heard about three dogs in one month's time that lost their lives to air bags. It was something that horrified me because it was something I had never thought about before.

We are all aware that air bags are too powerful for our children (anyone who has had children can attest to the fact that information about air bags is drilled into you head before you are even allowed to bring your child home from the hospital), but do we ever think about the consequences of air bags to our dogs? Even minor impact can set off the air bags with such power that it can crush a dog.

So I stopped allowing him in the front seat. Of course, being a big fan of riding shot gun, he kept trying to sneak up there, introducing a new danger: the dog knocking my car into neutral while I was driving. But with the use of seat belts and click/treating him when he settled down in the back seat, we were able to change his behavior.

So to keep everyone safe, commit yourself to using a doggy seat belt, or a crate. Not only will this keep you dog safe from air bags, and reduce the ways your dog can distract you, it will keep them confined
upon impact… because even a small impact can project a dog across the car, possibly even through a window.

By practicing car safety, everyone can have a joyful ride! Drive safely!