No he he is not camouflaged behind any of my posts, you used his name to try to give your statement more credence,

Shame that, having to fish for support from someone who is not even in the thread

One of the reasons that my dogs are always secured in the car was because when I was a very new dog owner and driver I had a rather nerve shattering experience.

It was one of the first times i'd ever driven on the motorway, I put Morgan in the boot of the Metro (yes that long ago), just loose as I'd always done (he was about 6 months), Karli was in her crate on the back seat, the cat was in her box on the front seat.

We got onto the motorway, luckily at about 6 am on a sunday morning and got up to speed, when suddenly and with no warning the boot lid swung up and opened. So there's me yelling stay at a teenaged dog whilst trying to slow down safely and pull over to the hard shoulder. I couldn't reach him to restrain him when I'd stopped I just had to hope he didn't jump out onto the carriage way.

Luckily he was too scared to move and i managed to get to get the boot shut, and made sure that it was definately locked before I carried on with the journey.

But no, because of that mainly, but also because of other people I know who have lost dogs when in a minor accident a well meaning person has come to assist and opened the door and the dog shot out into traffic, mine never ever travel loose in the car.

However, this is my decision about my dogs (oh and anyone elses dogs who travel in my car). What other people do is down to them, but should the worst happen, they have to live with themselves afterwards, I don't.

And yet, I still couldn't give a fig! Strange that?

Let it go JB luv, life's too short.

Yep agree, very strange, by the way, cant let go of something that I have not got hold of... thats your department you brought it up!!

But as you say, life's to short to worry over it!!

So glad you think I'm right!

I am just shocked tbh, as nurses see day in day out how its not only the sick or injured one who is affected, and yet seem to see nothing wrong with something that could not only injure or kill the people in the car, but also others outside the car too if the dog escapes, causing not only damages both physical and mentally to the parties involved, but affecting the familes of all those involved aswell, all because they don't see a problem with allowing a dog to be let loose in the back of the car, well tbh I am shocked and saddend at anyone who doesnt think about that.

Here is another scenerio though, you are driving in your car along the country sidewith a passenger and a unrestrained dog in the back when suddenly something happens and you have to use emergency break, this would be fine, both you and your friend are strapped in, but the dog comes flying through the window screen because of the force, killing one person and injuring the other, when the dog lands though somehow it is still allright to get up, it runs in panic, causing more crashes, more injuries and even more deaths, emergency services have to come (ones that if your dog was restrained wouldn't have to come, wouldn't have to waste their time and money to help people because you decided not to restrain your dog) they help everyone, eventually someone finds your dog, and try to help it, but it is injured, scared and acting aggressivly (which the police could shoot it for if they deem it to be a danger to the public), now though your dog runs off, still scared and injured, but it finds its way into a farmers field, at which point the farmer see's a dog on its own and shoots.

Now there is one dead dog, at least one dead human, and however many injured, costs to the tax payers to help you and others, many lives affected, including your own family, because you didn't restrain your dog, and in this case there is only one person to blame. Is it really worth it.


I will answer though, I have been taught at college by hunters, I worked at a boarding kennels for a farmer, and met many a Fox hunter, I have learnt from everywhere I have been and got my opinions on them experiences, with the mink I will always have loyality with a native species rather then a alien one, and tiggys wouldn't release them because they know of the issues too but I have learnt and got my opinions the most simply by thinking and witnessing things when walking the dogs, I have only recently thought about the impact of releasing animals back into the wild, espcailly after helping them cope with a disease that would of killed them, I have been open minded at every place that I have been, and hidden my opionions from no where, infact in my interview to tiggys and on the application form I said that I feel that if a animal is showing obvious injuries that it wont recover from at the scene that its found that it could be more humane to shoot them at the scene rather then bring them back to play about with them and everything, and had a few conversations about this while there with different people. But I feel that I have gained insights and opinions from the places that I have been, and have wieghed them up into my own opinions.

Oh and actually the only real reason that I was attracted to tiggys to begin with was so that I could finish an animal care course, as I had to leave college about 3/4 of the way through for different reasons, although I then discovered that I still got a level three from college and tiggys is only a level two oh well that is the way I am, not bothering to read much or look into things, oh well I made a few good friends there and had a good time.

Perhaps you should consider then that the written word isoften misinterpreted by the person reading rather than written in a certain manner. I hope i personally make it clear using smilies etc if I was being the things you are accusing me of!
How true! This was the same in this situation with me - I was getting accused (I think) amongst others and was trying to explain only to find it totally imread by the reader and then accused again of being rude, a no it all and not caring... if I didn't care I would have ignored the thread and the comments of those who imo show lack of concern for other road users and their own dogs.

But that's the problem, the consequences of an unrestrained dog in a car don't just affect you. Even if it's you and your dog, no passengers in your car to get hit by a flying dog, then there's still the chance that your decision to not restrain your dog will impact on someone else's left. As mentioned above - what if your dog smashes through the windscreen or flies from an open window and hits into another car? What if it runs out across the road after an accident and causes another crash? What if you're crushed by the weight of your dog hitting the back of your chair and whilst the emergency services are busy trying to free you at the same time as catching/restraining an injured/panicking dog, someone else in another vehicle involved in the accident is dying?
We can't avoid accidents and sometimes despite our best attempts, seatbelts break, car crates bust open, harnesses slip off, etc. but to not make any attempt at restraining and claim it's your choice rather than your responsibility isn't fair IMO. The law states we have to wear seatbelts, and that's for a reason (not just our own safety) so I feel it should extend to pets in cars too.

I wasnt refering to you. You asked why I was being defensive in my first post (that wasnt to do with anything you said) so I answered. But the people I was talking about, was not you. Words can be misinterpreted, which is why the smilies work wonders but people should choose their words carefully.

Chaz, however wonderful your scenerio is that can happen with so many aspects of life.

There have been adverts on tv about not leaving washing machines on when people are out incase of fire. So, those who do, are they selfish, uncaring people? Coz, if a fire starts it will cost money to put the fire out and risk the firefighters lives. What abt people who stay in joining houses (eg, block of flats, semis, 4 in a block)? Are they worse coz they are also risking the lives and belongings of people around them? First example I could think of, so hope it makes sense.

Life is full of risks, some more likely than others, and some people judge them different to others. We live in a society that seems so wrapped up in safety, I dont know how some people enjoy life.