I've a confession

Orla K

I was bringing two dogs for a walk(small jack russells). It was Sunday so it was a really good day out and I decided to bring them to 'the lake' about a ten minute drive. The two dogs were in the back seat(far too difficult to get both in the boot on my own) one normally just sits looking out the window the other will look out the window and get up and look out the back window. I got through town and everything was fine, turned onto another road and the little one squeezes inbetween the two passinger seats and up on my lap. Alright I can drive with her on my lap but I would have been happier with her in the back, my window was opened and she's a bit of a mad dog so I just didn't want to chance that, and I was right too she jumped before I could do anything. Luckily there was no other cars on the road but I was sure there would've been something wrong with her. I stopped the car, went to jump out to see how she was and there she was walking over to me with her head down and her tail between her legs. She seemed to be fine and spent the rest of the day running around.

Also, she's not my dog and I haven't told the owners.

lightening

Lucky girl!!!!!

(in before the high horse brigade came in and say "what if if was a child?)

Whispered

You poor thing you must have gotten such a shock. Very lucky dog. I know it's not funny but it made me smile! It's a big fear of mine! That or him accidently opening the door while we're moving.

You might want to mention it to the owners just in case something does show up in a few days.

Webmonkey

Orla K wrote: »

I was bringing two dogs for a walk(small jack russells). It was Sunday so it was a really good day out and I decided to bring them to 'the lake' about a ten minute drive. The two dogs were in the back seat(far too difficult to get both in the boot on my own) one normally just sits looking out the window the other will look out the window and get up and look out the back window. I got through town and everything was fine, turned onto another road and the little one squeezes inbetween the two passinger seats and up on my lap. Alright I can drive with her on my lap but I would have been happier with her in the back, my window was opened and she's a bit of a mad dog so I just didn't want to chance that, and I was right too she jumped before I could do anything. Luckily there was no other cars on the road but I was sure there would've been something wrong with her. I stopped the car, went to jump out to see how she was and there she was walking over to me with her head down and her tail between her legs. She seemed to be fine and spent the rest of the day running around.

Also, she's not my dog and I haven't told the owners.

Wow, must have been scary. Brave dog. Well no harm done in end of day but eye opener

boomerang

Orla in future you've got to put those two dogs in harnesses that attach to the back seatbelts, or at least get a guard that you can put between the two front seats to stop them jumping in the front.

If you were rear-ended by another car or had to break suddenly, those two dogs would become flying missiles and could break your neck.

If there had been another car coming when the dog jumped out the window, that car might have swerved to avoid her and there could have been a really serious accident.

There's no way you can concentrate on the road with a dog on your lap. If she's very excitable, she could have hit off the gear stick, brake pedal or accelerator and again caused an accident.

It is so dangerous to let a dog stick it's head out the window, too. (Not that you did this.) Apart from anything else, the dust can irritate the eyes, and they could get a nasty injury or even loose an eye from loose chippings or branches/twigs in the hedgerows.

I'm sorry if I sound preachy but I take car safety with dogs very seriously!

tom123456

you could just use a normal lead a tie it inside the door to the handle for short journey's

seanybiker

Ok since the dog is in good form and wasnt hurt at all, I must say that is hysterical.

boomerang

If you tie the dog to something inside the car with a lead and collar, and you have to brake unexpectedly or you are rear-ended, you could break the dog's neck.

Seanybiker, go back through my post and replace the word "dog" with "child" or "baby" - the OP is running the same risks to herself and the two animals as she would if it was an unrestrained child in the car. It's a no-brainer.

vibe666

lightening wrote: »

(in before the high horse brigade came in and say "what if if was a child?)

damn, i was too late!

but it wasn't a child, it was a dog.

"what ifs" are pointless when they bear no relevance.

what are the chances someone would be dumb enough to leave a child crawling around on their lap and let them jump out the window of a moving car?

close to zero would be my bet.

anyway OP, lesson learnt I'm sure.

now go back through MY post and replace "child" with "fluffy cardigan".:rolleyes:

Webmonkey

The OP made a mistake and has now learned a lesson - end of.

arybvtcw0eolkf

My cat was sitting on the windscreen of my car one morning.

So deciding that it would be ok to give her a flick of the wiper's to get her off the windscreen- I did..

Jesus-H-christ you'd wanna see that cat fly...

Now replace "Cat" with 'Child', and I'd have had a future high-jump olympic champion :cool:

.

boomerang

Smirk away lads, it's really funny until it happens to you.

The point I was making - while you were too busy being patronising - is that having a dog loose in a car is a real danger to the driver and other road users. Not to mind the dog. Just as it is a danger to the driver and other roadusers to have an unrestrained child in a car. That's why I made the analogy. Clearly the OP wasn't aware of the risks or she wouldn't have the dogs jumping around in the car while driving in the first place.

animalcrazy

Your story reminds me of my uncle, I couldn't help laughing.
He had a jack russel aswell in the back of the car and it jumped out, he didn't realise until he got a smack of the lead into the face :rolleyes: My mam was laughing so much when she heard she couldn't tell me the story, course the dog was fine. He doesn't leave the window rolled down much anymore!

Glad your dog was ok and wasn't hurt!

Orla K

For the people who are saying to use the lead to tie her up. The dog was Houdini in another life, she gets out of everything. Even my fathers boot(that one's a mystery, we think maybe squeeze through a gap in the seats). But I'm not driving with her when I have the windows open again, I already didn't want her to be in my lap, I think the owners have given up on finding something she can't get out of.

arybvtcw0eolkf

boomerang wrote: »

Smirk away lads, it's really funny until it happens to you.

Ahhh Boomerang, I knew you'd have to come back with something!.

:P

Orla K

I've just told the owners, one laughed(may have had something to do with alcohol) and the other started saying it was a stupid animal and gave out to me a bit. I think the different reactions was because I told one and then said it again to the other(he was watching the tv). I told the first one the story and just said it bluntly to the other.

But, as much as it freaked the crap out of me, I did laugh at the sight of her walking up to me with her I was bold, I'm sorry look. Even so she is not getting in a car with open windows again and I never wanted her to sit on my lap in the first place. That dog is completely nuts anyway.

sorella

Makes me wince to see cars driving through Town with dogs hanging out of windows. In traffic with so many stops and starts.

Glad all was well, and wiser now!

Toulouse

If the dog is Houdini and you carry her on a regular then maybe you should consider getting a crate for your back seat. That way she can still see everything but she's confined. Makes things alot easier in the car.

jen_23

You could try using a hammock restrain... Confines them to the backseat.
I love them esp because when your done with it you lift it up and all the lovely dog hairs go with it too
http://www.dogslikeus.com/kurgo-wander-hammock.html --> an example of one. There is an irish website that does it too somewhere cheaper I just can't find it at the moment.

here.from.day.1

Glad the dog was ok!

Heres a relevant short video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nDvHufnb20

Webmonkey

Orla K wrote: »

I've just told the owners, one laughed(may have had something to do with alcohol) and the other started saying it was a stupid animal and gave out to me a bit. I think the different reactions was because I told one and then said it again to the other(he was watching the tv). I told the first one the story and just said it bluntly to the other.

But, as much as it freaked the crap out of me, I did laugh at the sight of her walking up to me with her I was bold, I'm sorry look. Even so she is not getting in a car with open windows again and I never wanted her to sit on my lap in the first place. That dog is completely nuts anyway.

Feeling much better now I bet. Funny story though

Molberts

omg this happened to me before!! I picked two JRT's up from the pound, didnt have a crate with me, it was a last minute emergency pick up. Halfway down the m50 they decide to start beating the crap out of eachother :eek: So they're rolling around the car snarling, biting, hair flying everywhere... and I'm looking for a suitable place to pull in and try separate them :eek: They roll into the front passenger seat and accidentally open the window, then one of them decides to make a leap for freedom :eek::eek::eek: So I'd to hop out in rush hour traffic and try catch her >.< luckily I caught her, neither were injured and we managed to get home in one piece. Not cool!

GrumPy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nDvHufnb20&feature=related

EDIT: Beaten to it!!

Glad dog was ok, very lucky.

Red_Marauder

A harness for dogs? My Grandad was a vet and drove around with his dog on the back of his pickup truck, and often his grandchildren:)... I drive around now with my terrier in the jeep and to be brutally honest it has never once crossed my mind to tie him up, coming driving with me is his favourite hobby plus he usually calls shotgun:pac:

Molberts

Red_Marauder wrote: »

A harness for dogs?

yes. a harness for dogs, it acts as a seatbelt to protect both the dog and passengers/drivers. the back of a pickup is not the same as inside a car where a loose dog could go straight through the windscreen in an RTA or even if you just had to jam on suddenly.

Sometimes, you can just get the clip and then attach it from the seatbelt to the back of their regular harness, this one is my favorite

I haven't room in my car so I use the seatbelt harnesses but my boyfriend keeps a collapsable crate in the back of his jeep for them, to keep us ALL safe

edit to add, Molly still rides shotgun in my car, but she has her harness on

peasant

Molberts wrote: »

a loose dog could go straight through the windscreen in an RTA or even if you just had to jam on suddenly.

Not just that ...imagine a 30 kg Lab hitting your neck at 50 km/h ...it would kill you

Demonique

lightening wrote: »

Lucky girl!!!!!

(in before the high horse brigade came in and say "what if if was a child?)

It wouldn't have happened with a child, because a child would (hopefully) be secured by a seatbelt.


And as for those dog seat belt harnesses, I brought one back from Los Angeles a couple of years ago, put the harness on the dog, ran the seatbelt through the loop in the harness and the dog wriggled and had it off him within 60 seconds.


I know you can get grills for between the boot and back seat, can you get grills for between the front and back seats?