Northjersey.com Road Warrior John Cichowski reported last week that Col. Frank Rizzo, police superintendent for the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, issued a warning that any motorist found driving with an unrestrained pet will face a penalty much stiffer than the $46 fine issued to unbuckled drivers and passengers.
Penalties for unrestrained dogs range from $250 to $1,000 and carry a sentence of up to six months in jail.
Rizzo told reporters the rationale for the enactment of this new law is that dogs become projectiles in a car accident if they are hanging their heads out of the window. For the moment, we don't have that law in Georgia. Dogs can still be found on front seats of cars, ears blowing in the wind, or barking at passing cars from the bed of a pickup, but it's always possible that could change.
So what do you think? Should pet owners be forced to restrain their pets while traveling? And what about fines -- should they be higher than the fine for not restraining a child correctly?
I saw someone driving recently with a Husky in the back seat of an SUV and the dog actually had its paws up on the window and its head and shoulders OUTSIDE THE CAR. I was terrified that this dog was going to fall out and I, being the person driving behind, would risk running it over. I stayed pretty far back and prayed for that poor dog. My dogs get to hang their HEADS ONLY out of the windows and only at speeds below 45. Their eyes bug out otherwise and it freaks me out. And their jowls flap. Which is a pretty funny sight, but still. Every once in a while my little Boxer will crawl into the front passenger seat and lie down.
(kidding :)
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iXIIjUC9rws/T4MUGQmW8KI/AAAAAAAAGYc/unTmQXL04Pc/s640/funny-animals-dogs-driving-cars-012.jpg&imgrefurl=http://amazing-creature.blogspot.com/2012/04/40-cool-dogs-driving-cars-40-pics.html&h=468&w=625&sz=42&tbnid=C2IjcwXyVeR5BM:&tbnh=94&tbnw=125&prev=/search%3Fq%3Ddog%2Bdriving%2Bcar%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=dog+driving+car&usg=__m1lXtAxJip38nmEYw-1Jd6cWul0=&docid=CUmChxgafszsGM&sa=X&ei=qGLST-6VKYqm8AT2hqjoAw&ved=0CHcQ9QEwBg&dur=6085 Sharon: She always observes the speed limit. I taught her that before I taught her to sit. You're not one of those people that speeds down Hamilton Mill Parkway, are you?