Why isn't it illegal to have an unsecured dog in the bed of moving pickup trucks?

So I'm driving home from the ophthalmologist an hour ago. I'm on the Interstate, and have to swerve to avoid hitting the fresh corpse of a GORGEOUS large, lithe dog. He had that incredible rusty gold color coat so stunning on short-haired dogs. His red collar and leash were still attached. No way he wandered onto the Interstate; this was far from an on/off ramp. And please, save the "But Toby's miserable when riding inside! He lives to ride in the truck bed!" comments. YOU'RE the putatively higher evolved one. That creature's safety is your responsibility. Would you let a toddler or elderly person with dementia to ride unsecured in that truck bed? Doubt it. It ruined what had been a very good day. That poor little lamb.

If you want to know then why don't you ask a lawyer? Google it? It's not hard.
Ask Seamus about the wind and the speed.
Years ago I saw a black lab in te back of a pick up. As the driver made a sharp turn, the dog fell out of the truck bed and was run over and killed by another driver. This was a street in a southern town outside of Charlotte. Police had to pull witnesses off the pick up driver. I think he would have been torn apart. THAT I would have love to seen. TOTAL ASSHOLE.
Any idiot knows that you tie your dog to the roof of the vehicle. Safety first!
Mitt
It is illegal to have an unsecured dog in a truck bed in some states, OP. Sorry it ruined your day, but it's pretty obvious something was bound to do that. For all you know, the dog got out of a car that stopped, or something else happened. Don't know why a dead dog would make OP jump to a conclusion.
R3. I remember that case. Lots of pressure for a law after that.
It is illegal in NJ. In fact it is illegal to have an unrestrained in any moving vehicle. And, the penalty for having a dog that is not properly restrained is higher than not having your child in a car seat.
sorry, " In fact it is illegal to have an unrestrained dog in any moving vehicle"
Dogs should stay at home
Miss%20Sissy%20Boodles
OP, considering that the dog had a leash attached, he probably escaped from inside a car or RV, not from riding in a truckbed. I always hated that my asshole brother used to let his dog ride untethered in the truckbed. But that changed when one day, my bro got to his destination and realised the dog wasn't in the back of the truck. The dog was fine, thank God. He'd probably jumped out of the truck after another dog, and someone quickly picked him up and took him to the pound. After that close call, my brother decided to begin tethering the dog in the truckbed. I'm very thankful the story had a happy ending.
People suck at being humans beings.
Cold%20truth
[quote] Why isn't it illegal to have an unsecured dog in the bed of moving pickup trucks. The dog lobby is very powerful in Washington. They lobbied so they wouldn't have to wear seat belts and could have abortions and vote, long before any humans got those rights.
A tethered dog would hang himself when he jumped out.
Depends on the state. In NY or NJ it would probably be against the law. In someplace like Florida they wouldn't care.
It should be illegal for a dog to sit on the drivers lap while driving. Besides being a potential distraction, if the driver's airbag went off, the dog would be killed from the force of it instantly.
Saw a guy make a really sharp right turn in his little roadster with his dog inside the car. The window was rolled down all the way, with the dog hanging out, front paws deep. As the guy made the turn, the dog was flung out the window, but the guy grabbed his leg and yanked him back in, as if he was used to doing this all the time. Animals should be tethered inside the car too.
I was driving behind some idiot today who had her dog on the rear deck of the back seat (the part between the back window and the seat, where it covers the trunk.) I was praying she wouldn't have to stop short, or that poor thing would have gone flying into the front seat and through the windshield.
I agree it's the responsibility of the owner to protect that dog. A dog is not a child.
Mrs.%20Patsy%20Ramsey%2C%20formerly%20of%20Boulder%2C%20CO.
These are probably the same idiots who used to rail against seatbelt and, later, helmet laws because they believed they were a violation of their personal freedoms. But if the dog had a leash on, I think there are other plausible explanations. Still, it's upsetting to see an animal like that. I found a hummingbird flapping in the middle of the street on a walk one afternoon. I scooped it up and put it beneath a bush. Ruined my day. I probably had other things on my mind, but that sent me over.
Agreed, R16. I'm glad you brought up that point. I'm a cat person, but adore my canine niece and nephew. When they visit me, I we love driving them around. But I always strap them into their doggy seatbelts. The boy always wears his dapper little harnesses anyway, and seatbelt adapters for harnesses are so inexpensive, all dog owners should own one for each pooch.
OP
And just so you know, snarky R5, I was not the only one affected so deeply. My sister dropped by an hour after I got home, and told me about the "gorgeous" dead dog she'd just passed on the freeway. She was so upset she didn't want to read this thread. And she's an ER nurse and consultant, used to working elbow-deep in gore. She said the couple in the car next to hers were shaking their heads in sympathy at the poor dog.
OP