Question: Dennis Smith of Puyallup wonders “Is it legal for dogs to ride in the truck bed when traveling down the road?”
He cringes when he gets behind a truck with a dog up on the wheel well with its head way over the side. “I’ve heard horror stories and don’t ever want to witness it,” he says.
Answer: State law requires that dogs traveling outside a vehicle be secured. According to RCW 46.61.660: “It shall be unlawful for any person to transport any living animal on the running board, fenders, hood, or other outside part of any vehicle unless suitable harness, cage or enclosure be provided and so attached as to protect such animal from falling or being thrown therefrom.”
Presumably, any ticket would go to the driver, not the dog.
Besides the law, there’s good reason not to let your pet slide around off-leash in your truck bed.
This from the Humane Society of the United States:
“If your truck hits a bump, or if you step on the brakes suddenly or swerve to avoid an obstacle, your dog can easily be thrown from the truck bed and onto the road. Chances are, this will injure or kill your dog. But even if it doesn’t, being struck by another vehicle probably will. Also, other drivers may cause an accident by swerving to avoid hitting your dog.”
The Humane Society suggests putting Fido in the cab. “It is not safe for your dog to ride in the bed of a pickup even with a restraint,” it advises on its website. “The HSUS knows of no brand of harness that has been proven safe in this situation. In fact, there have been cases where dogs restrained by leashes or harnesses have been strangled or dragged after being thrown from a truck bed.”
The American Veterinary Medical Association suggests that if a dog must ride in the back it be placed in a protective kennel secured to the bed. If a tether is used, it “should be short enough to retain the dog’s front and hind legs within the truck and should be combined with a tractable surface to allow the dog to remain easily within the range of the tether while the truck is in motion.”
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