Transporting your Dog in the Bed of your Truck Safely

About a month ago, on a warm winter evening I was driving down the freeway. A few cars up, in the middle lane, I noticed a beautiful Border Collie in the bed of truck. Unsecured. Before I knew it, the Border Collie had jumped out of the bed of the truck and was immediately hit by highway traffic.

I immediately called traffic control for that county, and reported the unfortunate event. Then I took the next exit to make sure that someone had stopped to grab the dog from out of the middle of the road. By the time I circled back, there was nothing but the dogs blood stain on the highway pavement. I can only hope, that the dog made it to the vet in time to deal with her serious injuries and still be able to live a good life.

The point of the above story is that, having your dog in the bed of your truck is unsafe. An unsecured dog is an accident waiting to happen, and it is a danger to the dog and the people on the road with you. You might argue, that if you have your dog's leash attached the bed of your truck, your dog is now secure. I would like to share one more story that might change your mind.

Last year, I was driving on the freeway during rush hour. I saw a beautiful German Shepard, tethered to the bed of her owners truck. She was spooked by the blaring horns of mid-afternoon traffic and decided to jump. This poor dog was hanging by her owners truck bed. Considering we were only going 25 MPH, I was able to maneuver my way in front of this truck driver and stop. I got out the car and told the man that his dog was hanging from his truck. All this man did was pick up his dog and toss her back into the bed of the truck, then he speed off.

There are plenty of safe alternatives to have your dog with in your truck:

1. You can place your dog in a crate, and secure the crate to the bed of the truck;

2. You can have your dog in the car with you.

Many people feel that bringing your dog with you to run errands, or go for a ride is better than leaving them at home. Please keep in mind that having a safe and alone dog at home is much better than having a injured dog with you. Not to mention in many states it is ILLEGAL to have your dog in the bed of your truck.