Transporting Dogs in Your Truck -- Know the Law!
Did you know that it's a Class C Misdemeanor in Austin to transport your dog loose in the back of your truck? City ordinances require that your dog be in a kennel or crate that is secured to the truck so it cannot fall out or be tied to the truck to the in a way that it cannot jump or fall out. We would also suggest that you use a secure harness on them if you tether them in the back of the truck to prevent strangulation. There are lots of products on the market designed to make this easy and convenient for you!
This simple change could save your dogs life and save you a fine from the City!
We recently received a very moving first-person encounter that demonstrates just how dangerous having a loose dog in your truck can be. Even if you think your dog knows not to jump out, a distraction (such as an animal) could change their mind or they could be thrown out from a bump or pot hole. If you see someone breaking this law, CALL 9-1-1!
"I hate to see dogs loose in the pick-up beds because I know too well that dogs can get killed in a second. One time, years ago, I was driving on Mopac when a beautiful Labrador fell off a pick up truck bed, at least 500 ft. ahead of me. He had been riding loose. I saw the poor dog bounce on the asphalt, and roll several times, at great speed, each time bouncing again, hurting himself, trying to stand up, but he couldn't because of the momentum. I can still see this in my memory as it happened just now. Finally, the poor dog got up and stood there in the middle of Mopac, disconcerted and lost. It was very lucky that there were a few seconds of no cars in the road, so no one ran him over. I was able to stop on the inner lane and called him. Dog heard me and happily got into my car. The poor dog, he was such a nice, gentle, and obedient dog. He had beautiful smart eyes, but was in so much pain and lost. I could see the pain in his eyes. He didn't understand what happened. I took off with the dog in my car right before a massive amount of cars came down at full speed. It was a matter of seconds, and with a single thing different, that dog would have gotten killed that day. I caught up with his dumb owners who had parked their truck a mile away, looking for their dog. We all went down to Zilker park where I had to release the poor dog to his owners. I told them how dangerous it was. The owner, a young guy, was in tears, shaking but relieved to see that his dog was OK. Even then, the owner resisted to being told to use a kennel or transport his dog in the truck, safe with him. He loved his dog, but was too dumb to know any better. Luckily, the beautiful dog was all skinned but had no broken bones, no major injury. I checked that he was OK. Dog went running in Zilker Park, licking his owners, even catching a frisbee. It was amazing, but he was OK. It can happen in a second, the dog can get killed in a second. It's too dangerous. Poor dogs deserve better." - Anonymous
