New Jersey Dogs MUST wear seat belts!!!

[Walk away]

This weekend they are beginning to ticket owners driving with their dogs unrestrained. Henry will be devastated! He even has a pair of Doggles he wears while driving around town with his head out the window!

[hlthe2b]

1. Wow.... I have yet to find a restraint system that really works well for a big dog, but...

that is quite interesting. Heaven knows I want to protect my babe--but she's old now and simply lays down on the back seat under a mountain of padding.

[Coyote_Bandit]

2. I think that's a great!!!

I have small dogs and I always restrain them while riding in the car. They wear their harness and I have a strap that clips to it and then buckles in the car's seat belt receptable. The length of the strap can be adjusted to accomodate smaller or larger dogs.

My small dogs are able to stand in the seat and peer out the window. But they cannot stick their head out the window. They are restrained from jumping out the window or from being thrown into the floorboards or the seatback in front of them. Or the window. Or the dashboard. Their ability to distract me while I'm driving is somewhat limited - though a front seat passenger can be demanding.

Many years ago I was taking an 8 hour road trip with my first dog when I had to stop suddenly to avoid an accident. My poor boy could not restrain himself and was thrown into the dashboard and fell into the floor of the vehicle. He was injured but fortunately for both of us it was not a serious injury - though it easily could have been. I have restrained my dogs while riding ever since.

On more than once occasion I've seen dogs jump from open windows in moving cars into busy city traffic. I've seen drivers stop and get out and chase the dogs in the traffic and I've seen the dogs be hit and injured.

I don't always enjoy wearing my seatbelt but I know I am safer if I do (and yes I have kissed a windshield and had a doctor spend hours picking shards of glass from my face).

I think the same is true of the doggies. Much safer even if not as much fun.

[Walk away]

3. They aren't doing it to keep the dogs safe. It because they think the dogs are distracting...

when they are loose in a car. That may be true and I'll abide by the rules but Henry is still going to be very unhappy. He hasn't even tried to go out the window in 11 years.
Every Friday on the way to the bank we cruise the main street in town and everyone waves to him and calls out his name. He's very popular. There goes his "Dog running for Mayor" fantasy!

[Texasgal]

4. Austin does a big thing

every summer about Dogs left in hot cars. It's against the law and I must say that I agree with it very much.

I'm not sure about the seat belt thing, my dogs like to window sniff like Henry does. They would be very upset as well. Hmmm.

[Rhiannon12866]

5. Do doggy car seats count?

The pup that I dog sit for has one of those, and she's very comfortable there in the back seat. For my own dog, I have a doggy seat belt, and I use it on long trips, but it's not his favorite thing. I had thought of getting a seat for him, as well, since he's too small to look out the window when he's hooked to his seatbelt.

I do advocate them, however. My Cairn Terrier liked to sit on the back of the front seat, which was distracting and dangerous, so I got him a seatbelt and it saved him from hitting the windshield more than once when I had to stop fast.

[Walk away]

7. As you can see by my icon I am also owned by a Cairn Terrier.

Car seats are fine but your dog must be clipped in. I have been easing Henry into one all week. He isn't thrilled

[Rhiannon12866]

11. And an adorable Cairn Terrier, at that, but aren't they all? ;)

The car seat I had in my car for the pup I dog sat for clipped to the seatbelt, but the dog wasn't restrained in the seat. His people set it up in my back seat, just as it is in their car.

I did try one for my Cairn Terrier ages ago, but he was just a little too big for it. I had thought of getting one like my friends' dog has, since it's higher and he could see outside. My Jack is very good in the car with the seatbelt, usually just lies down and goes to sleep, but it's not his favorite thing. He does like going in the car, but I wish I could find a way to make it less boring for him. He did manage to wriggle out of it a couple of times, but now I think he's just resigned... But I would much rather he be kept safe. Good luck, I know how it is...

[get the red out]

6. Blocker

I have a panel I bought that attaches to the headrests that blocks my dog from being able to access the front seat. I can't see Kentucky ever thinking about doggie seatbelts, but this works for me. Layla never considered going from the back seat to the front anyway, once she gets that idea that she belongs in a certain area she pretty much stays there, just the way she thinks I guess.

[TorchTheWitch]

8. Does this also go for people just driving through NJ?

But don't live there?

I can't think why I'd ever have Yoshi in NJ with me, but being in the Philly area I sometimes have to go into NJ.

Does it also matter what sort of restraint is used? Yoshi lays down across the backseat and wouldn't like to have to sit in the back seat because he gets carsick if he can see out the windows. His balance isn't so great in the car if he's sitting either. I much prefer him in the back seat and laying down because I think the front seat is too dangerous because of his size (there really isn't room for him to sit comfortably like a dog in the front seat) and I like him to be laying down so his big self isn't filling up my driving mirrors.

This law doesn't seem to take a lot of things into account like a sick or injured dog being transported to and from the vet that need to be both calm and laying down especially if they have to be wearing a huge lampshade on their heads. As long as the law lets them be restrained in some fashion either sitting down or laying down in either the front or back seat then fine, but otherwise it stinks.

As for dogs having their heads hanging out the window, I never thought that was safe and never let my dogs do it for their own sake... you never know when you may get sideswiped or have to quickly maneuver so the side of the car is very close to something that could rip off the dog's head if it was out the window. Better safe than sorry.

I've seen people trying to drive with a rambunctious loose dog in the car or trying to drive with a dog in their lap or a dog leaping out of a car window at a stoplight. For that sort of thing the law is a good idea. All of that is dangerous for the dog and dangerous for other drivers on the road.

[Walk away]

9. I think they are using the law to stop unruly dogs from distracting drivers

[link:http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&ved=0CGgQFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dogster.com%2Fforums%2FDog_Laws_and_Legislation%2Fthread%2F746526&ei=ZeHNT8rqOoTn0QHlk42-DA&usg=AFQjCNFnIqKmcZ04fOeQ7QwRAQs4SwnWuw&sig2=ViH9PG6IEJDgU31EnmGaxQ|

[Sanity Claws]

10. Will he lose his license if he doesn't buckle up?

[414]

12. This is absolute silliness...

...my dog rides in the back of my pickup truck and she LOVES it back there. Distracted driving with a dog in your lap is one thing, but ticketing owners for having their pets unrestrained is just silly...