Dog owner urges drivers to consider buckling up pets

A Charlottetown woman is urging pet owners to take extra precautions when driving with their animals after a close call left her car totalled. 

Katie Parker was driving through Kinkora, P.E.I., with her dog Moe around midnight last Sunday when she lost control of her car. It flipped six times before coming to a stop in a wheat field, she said. 

Despite some bruises, she was not injured and neither was Moe, something she credits to her dog's car seat.

"People thought I was crazy because I had a car seat for my dog," Parker said. "But it's the only reason that I think he's still alive right now." 

She is hoping to encourage people to take measures to ensure their pets are safe while driving. 

"You put children in a car seat and we have seatbelts so it makes sense to me that he should have some sort of protection whenever he's in a vehicle because it's like, crazy things can happen in a car," she said.  

Pets can distract drivers

Dr. Claudia Lister, a veterinarian at the New Perth Animal Hospital, said while letting a dog ride in the car without a restraint or car seat is common practice, it does come with some potential risks.

"I have been involved in a few situations where we were asked to come and help because animals were either trapped in cars with accidents with fatalities or they were actually ejected from the car and went missing," she said.

Lister said pets roaming freely in vehicles can also create hazards by distracting the driver.

"It's not impossible for a dog to become excited and potentially jump over and onto the driver's lap or even down around their feet," Lister said. "So they certainly can be responsible for causing an accident." 

Tips for keeping pets safe

In addition to canine car seats and seat belts, Lister said there are a number of other ways to keep pets safe on the road.

She recommended drivers use crates for smaller animals and said the safest place for an animal is the centre of the vehicle.

For larger animals, Lister suggested pet owners install dividers that create an enclosed space either in the hatch or back seat of the car. 

"The animal could then actually ride in the very back, but not be able to fly forward if there was an impact," she said.

Pets should be secured

She said it's important to remember that on P.E.I, it is illegal to allow pets to ride in the back of uncovered pick-up trucks, unless they are in a crate that is securely tied down. 

Lister also cautioned pet owners not to let their animals ride in the car with their heads sticking out of the windows. She said loose gravel, insects and tree branches could hit them.

"That's also something we frown upon, partly because of eye injuries but also because some dogs will jump out of moving vehicles," Lister said. "Not only can they seriously injure themselves but they can also cause a serious accident for someone else."

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