by Melissa Williams

Created on: October 11, 2009   Last Updated: October 12, 2009

The real question here is if this is an issue the government should be wasting time and money on. While many agree that animals should be buckled up or crated in the car, few people believe that this should be a legislative issue. Imagine the money it would take to enforce this law. With a depressed economy, budget cuts in practically every area of our government, and millions of people out of work, even considering taking the time and money to enact and enforce this law borders on being insane.

Education, rather than legislation, should be the solution to the problem of dogs in cars. While it is easy to see what prompted the idea of a law dealing with this issue, teaching people about the danger they are putting their pet, themselves and other drivers in by allowing their pets to be loose in the car would be a more cost effective measure than creating a law. The cost of this education could be partially taken on by Humane societies and other agencies that deal with protecting animals, rather than putting the burden on taxpayers. Even a program similar to the digital t.v. converter box program would be preferable to creating a law that we would expect our already overburdened law enforcement agencies to enforce.

If a law were enacted on this issue, would it take into consideration the needs of people who use service animals? What about people who regularly take their dogs to a dog park for needed exercise or people who have dogs trained to hunt with them? How is the law going to deal with these very real issues?

If we educate people about the restraint systems available for pets in cars, maybe more people will use them. Dog seat belts are available at many pet stores and on the Internet. They range in price from 30 U.S. dollars to 150 U.S. dollars, depending on the brand and the size of your dog. Animals can also be crated and the crate tethered to the seat belt. Car booster seats are also available for smaller dogs. Some of these seats are not designed for safety, so the consumer will want to check on the individual brand they want to buy.

Whether you take your dog in your car should be a personal choice, not a legislative issue. Our government has enough on its plate already.

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