Nah, he might get pulled over.
Posted on 07/06/2005 10:47:37 AM PDT by Cagey
Where Fido finds a breath of fresh air, Marc McCann, 11, sees a road hazard. The Green Tree boy helped a state lawmaker craft a proposal that would make it illegal for dogs and other pets to stick their heads out the car window, which McCann says is a danger to animals and a distraction to drivers.
McCann's idea now has a shot at becoming law, thanks to a contest called "There Ought to Be a Law," sponsored annually by Rep. Tom Stevenson, R-Mt. Lebanon.
"I never did like dogs sticking their heads out the window," said McCann, who will be a sixth-grader this fall at Keystone Oaks Middle School. "Maybe a sign might have been too close to the road and they'd get hit. Maybe they'd jump out the window on a highway."
The bill, submitted to the Transportation Committee in June, would make it illegal for drivers to let their pets stick their heads or other body parts out the window. It also would require pets to be restrained by methods that could include a pet seat-belt system, or a crate or carrier box.
McCann said he was inspired simply by his love of animals.
"My cousin calls me Dr. Doolittle," said McCann, whose favorite dog breed is the Yorkshire.
Stevenson visited McCann's fifth-grade Aiken Elementary School class to teach them about the legislative process and invite them to enter his contest, now in its ninth year.
More than 500 students from Stevenson's district entered their ideas, and five district magistrates pored over the submissions to pick the winner, the legislator said.
When he won, McCann and his family were invited to Harrisburg to tour the Capitol and met with House Speaker John M. Perzel.
"It was wonderful," said McCann's mother, Sandy McCann. "We were very excited."
(Excerpt) Read more at pittsburghlive.com ...
More ammunition supporting the instinct that candidates for public office need both mandatory IQ and "busibody" tests...
For our 70 pound potential projectile, I take the seat belt in the back and clip it across the back seat, and then clip her harness to it with a old carabiner.
It's not perfect, but it gives her some freedom of movement while still preventing her from being thrown forward in case of a wreck.
Another law, more tickets, more money for the coffers.
So if we ever take the dog anywhere we now need to leave one of the kids at home so the dog can have a seatbelt? Maybe we need an even bigger vehicle. Not!
Sounds like a good solution!
Never mind.
Another useless law that the genetically deprived, the bewildered, and uneducated will endorse for their democrat pupeteers.
If not for the safety of the dog, consider the safety of your dog flyin' into the kids in an accident.
I saw a really intense video once, a commercial for buckling up... it opened showing a teen and his girlfriend, with some other friends in a car, all of whom buckled up except "John". It said something like "John is about to beat his girlfriend to death". and vividly showed John slamming into her in a crash because he was unbuckled.
This is a good first step. But we cannot rest until we make it law that all dogs have to wear helmuts when running.
Dogs are my favorite animals and while I DETEST seeing one in the bed of a pickup truck there isn't a need for this law. When I take mine to the vet I keep him in the front seat on a short leash and drive extremely carefully. He isn't allowed to ride in my lap. We don't need another damn law! Enough already!!
Safety Nazi's need to be beaten with a seat belt once or twice. Y'all are regulating us to death and I'm about fed up with it.
Lets pass some laws to correct these horrors.
Heh... many didn't.... you're right... maybe that's why there's too many people now, do away with it!
Safety Nazi's need to be beaten with a seat belt once or twice. Y'all are regulating us to death and I'm about fed up with it.
I haven't regulated anyone. Only pointed out the reality of large, unsecured objects in a vehicle with you.
Sheesh.... see my above at 34. If you have no interest in minimizing your own risks, then don't.
My point is how do I add a buckle for the dog? There is no room. I already have an SUV with a third seat. Enough room for seven people. When we brought Moses home he sat in the back in the little space that is in between two kids in the far back. He spent most of his time on that spot or the floor. Can't exactly (or have a desire to drive) a big van for an extra seat.
I read an article a few months ago about a similar new law in our state. Then I noticed the date on the article: April 1st.
Although, FR has gotten kinda weird about such things. You see posters who are otherwise very conservative advocating the weirdest infringements on Rights or expansions of government power.
If my bolwing ball collection in the rear of my truck makes you nervous, don't ride in my truck. Seems simple.
Never mind the dog sticking its nose out the window. how about the politician sticking his nose into everything we do!
Do the best you can, I guess... My only point was to remind you that in the event you have to stop fast or have an accident, an unsecured dog does become a projectile.
It's one of many risks many don't even think about.
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