Santa Fe Considers Enacting a Dog Seat Belt Law SANTA FE, N.M. - Santa Fe is considering requiring doggie seat belts. A major rewrite of the city's animal control ordinance proposes that Santa Fe dogs be buckled up when riding in trucks and other vehicles. The ordinance endorsed Tuesday by a City Council committee would require an animal in the bed of a truck to be "crated or restrained ... so it cannot fall or jump from the truck or be strangled." It also would require that any animal "in or on" a vehicle be restrained to keep it from falling out. Santa Fe pet stores stock devices to restrain animals in vehicles, although managers said they don't sell many. Shops carry a "pet safety sitter," selling for $13.69 to $21.69, that holds dogs in a vehicle's seat via a strap across their chests; a restraint that has a loop that attaches to a seat belt; and "pickup tie-outs" that attach to a dog's collar to keep it from jumping out of the bed of a truck. There's even a little booster seat for dogs so they can see out of the window, complete with an attachment so the dog can't jump around in the car. The proposed ordinance also addresses restraining animals while walking them on public property. It would require dogs and cats to be on a leash no more than 8 feet long and would no longer consider voice commands as acceptable restraint.
Why not? If a cat can drive, I'm pretty sure a dog could drive, also... ...anyways, I think sticking their heads out the windows of a moving car is probably second on the all time dog fun list right behind licking their balls...You can't take that basic instinctive right from them!
[RANT] You know how I mentioned that I was looking for an apartment in Houston?! Scratch that sh*t! Me and the Mrs. are moving to Sante Fe, New Mexico. You know why? Because they obviously have full employment, no homelessness, no crime, no traffic, full health care, no poverty, etc. They must have all these problems solved to be worrying about passing a seat belt law for dogs. SHEESH! /RANT]
I guess they never got that Green or Red thing sorted out so they've moved onto another important issue. My dog lives for rides. I say "RIDE?" and he runs to the garage door and starts whining cause he's so excited. I guess he wouldnt dig NM too much.
I think it is possible for a dog to get his nose out the window and still be belted. Why wouldn't that be possible?
Granted, this is a small dog in a truck, but I think in many cases that seatbelts would restrict dogs from getting their noses comfortably out of a slightly open window. Perhaps a larger dog in a smaller sedan or hatchback would have requisite access to the wonderful world of smells if the window was fully lowered.
I'm sure they aren't worried too much about the safety of the animal, but rather other drivers and pedestrians. I don't know if it's urban legend or not, but I remember hearing a story about how a dog was in the bed of a pickup truck that got into an accident. The dog was thrown from the truck and it killed a somebody. Then again, it would seem that restraining a dog isn't the issue, but rather any objects in the bed of a pickup. Oh well, who knows what they are thinking.
