# 36% of Americans think its ok to strap your Dog to the top of your car.



## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

So Yahoo is doing a poll on whether you feel it is safe to strap your Dog in its crate to the top of your vehicle. I just took the poll and they give you the answers...

Currently...
64% unsafe
36% believe it is safe if the Dog is "secure"


Isn't 2012 supposed to be the Apocalypse? 

I almost think we need it 

Unfreakingbelievable. No, I take that back... I actually do believe it(that people are this stupid).


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

My family always had the dogs in the car but I do remember road trips in the eighties and saw it was done quite often. We often drove the I5 to Kentucky and to northern California So I was not totally shocked when I read it and that it happened in 1983 - I am surprised people think it is okay today.


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

I really don't see the big deal. If the dog just can't fit in the car safely before of their size then strapping them on a rare occasion should be fine. Just make sure they are firmly stripped in, in a protective crate and aren't overheating. I'd never do it but I don't see why some people are so strongly against it. Would they rather he had surrounded the dog to the shelter because it couldn't fit in the car? Or ship it UPS? What about just setting it lose when they move because the dog didn't fit? Those are the people we should be angry at.


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## 7766 (Sep 20, 2011)

Years ago on a trip with my mom to visit some family, I had my ferret's cage strapped to the luggage carrier on my trunk. We were at a rest area and my mom was scared to hold him, so I put him in the cage while I used the restroom. When I came out there was a group of people telling my mom,what a good idea it was to have the animal travel like that. I was shocked people thought I would actaully do that. But then I was young, now nothing suprises me. 

I was behind a dog in the bed of a truck in a cage, but it was monsooning. I felt so bad for the dog, they were gooing about 50 and you could tell it was scared, cold and miserable. The rain had to hurt it with the speed they were going. I wanted to stop them right there and take the dog away for animal cruelty.


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

bridget246 said:


> I really don't see the big deal. If the dog just can't fit in the car safely before of their size then strapping them on a rare occasion should be fine. Just make sure they are firmly stripped in, in a protective crate and aren't overheating. I'd never do it but I don't see why some people are so strongly against it. Would they rather he had surrounded the dog to the shelter because it couldn't fit in the car? Or ship it UPS? What about just setting it lose when they move because the dog didn't fit? Those are the people we should be angry at.



Bridget, I guess I'm not ranking stupid things owners do.

Certainly, I could probably scour my brain for MORE intensely idiotic things you could do.

However, STRAPPING your Dog in a crate to the top of a vehicle certainly would be in my top 10.


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## Love my lab (Dec 9, 2010)

Wow people really do that? Disagree a million percent. I would never strap my human child on my car in a safe crate nor my canine child. If someone actually did strap a human child in a crate on top of their car and travel anywhere that would be abuse. No different for dogs in my opinion. People really have idiotic mindsets.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

It's just as dangerous to dogs and people to let them travel in a car without being strapped in. And alot of people do that, even though they wouldn't dream of not strapping their kids in.

Shoot, i was one of them until we had a wreck.


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## catahoulamom (Sep 23, 2010)

These are living animals people. Godd*mn. I agree Kevin, the world needs to be wiped out so we can start over. I'm a pessimist and people hater though, I say all the time that I can't wait til South FL is under water LOL.


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

Cat, I'm a OPTIPESSIMIST(yeah, my word)...

I think this world has the most amazingly beautiful, brilliant people. I see it every day when a plane takes off(still amazes me to see a 747 lift off--I just can't figure out how man did that).... and the empathy some people show(many on this site) just amazes me.

But then I see this other side of people...the far other end of the spectrum--the horrific stuff done every day. 


I mean, in a MILLION years, I wouldn't fathom stuffing my Dog into a crate and STRAPPING him to the top of a car. Ok, I'll bite on this and get into the specifics-- The dynamics around how secure something is on a car NOT moving vs. a car moving at 60+ mph are exponentially different. How much crap do you see on the side of the road that flies off cars? Unless Yakima is making a Dog Crate carrier that I'm unaware of... I have some serious reservations of your backyard tie down rig for your "beloved" family pet. 

I'm not exagerrating when I say I would go out to my Workshop and CHOP my Tibia and Fibula off at the elbow joint with my Dewalt Chop saw before I would stick Harry up on the top of my car in a crate moving down the road at 60 mph.

I am just astonished that some people think its just fine. Blows me away.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

It used to be perfectly fine to throw your dogs and your kid into the pickup bed but we don't do that any more, either. My parents used to put us all into the back of the pickup on vacations - although there was a camper shell we would have been dead in a wreck.

I don't remember ever seeing a dog strapped to the roof of a car. Maybe I just didn't notice. Or I didn't drive by Mitt on his annual vacation


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## catahoulamom (Sep 23, 2010)

"OPTIPESSIMIST"... I like that one Kevin 

And you're right. There are a whole lot of awesome human beings (and awesome dog owners) around, (one of the reasons I love this forum so much... :smile

BUT it's just so hard to have hope when there's someone so freakin' insensitive and moronic that could end up in the white house. I KNOW I KNOW, it wouldn't be the first time... but it just sucks. I guess I'll have the exercise my right to vote (for the first time!!! last time I was a few months too young!) for the lesser of the evils. I'm just glad I don't have to turn on the TV and see Bachmann behind the podium anymore! 

"Politicians and diapers should be changed frequently, for the same reason."

Strap a baby to the roof of a car and you go to jail. Do it to a dog and you could possibly be voted president! I think the real issue here is that not enough people are taught compassion towards animals (and common sense) by their parents.


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

Love my lab said:


> Wow people really do that? Disagree a million percent. I would never strap my human child on my car in a safe crate nor my canine child. If someone actually did strap a human child in a crate on top of their car and travel anywhere that would be abuse. No different for dogs in my opinion. People really have idiotic mindsets.


Putting a kid into a crate is also consider abuse. If it wasn't then people would have been strapping kids onto of their cars too. The biggest thing here is rather or not they are doing all they could to keep the dog safe while strapped the car, like preventing them from being slammed by rain at high speeds.



xellil said:


> It's just as dangerous to dogs and people to let them travel in a car without being strapped in. And alot of people do that, even though they wouldn't dream of not strapping their kids in.
> 
> Shoot, i was one of them until we had a wreck.


Not having a seat belt on can put everyone in the car in danger. My dad flew into the backseat when I guy ran right into the front of them. The guy claimed he dropped his sandwich and went after it while driving. 



xellil said:


> It used to be perfectly fine to throw your dogs and your kid into the pickup bed but we don't do that any more, either. My parents used to put us all into the back of the pickup on vacations - although there was a camper shell we would have been dead in a wreck.
> 
> I don't remember ever seeing a dog strapped to the roof of a car. Maybe I just didn't notice. Or I didn't drive by Mitt on his annual vacation


I did it too. I remember really enjoying it. Seems like you are going so much faster when your not trapped in a car. I don't plan on repeating this with my kids. Nor would I ever strip a dog to the top of my car. I'm just thinking people are making this into a much larger deal than it really is.


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## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

yeh you can bet your bum people all over are going to start doing this now becuase mitt did and "thats cool" so all these people are going to be like "well he did it and he didnt get in trouble"

yeh i rember when i was 9 we moved up north and all our family was down state about a month after we moved my grandma got cancer so every weekend we were paying a freind to drive us down state and back up with there kids in tow and me and my sister all rideing in the back of the truck 900 miles there and 900 miles back tossed a matress in back to sleep on.
i have to admitt we were lucky but it was also fun as hell too! 4 girls doing what ever we wanted (we would open the windows and shout things to people,write signs asking people to honl at us ect)
pull out board games and play cards a heck of alot funner being stuck in a seat.

would i ever reccomend it now? NO like i said we were lucky we we never got into an accedent or had to hit the breaks suddenly.
i would however let Cesar ride in the back of my bfs truck while we went out onto the 4 wheeler trails becuase we inch thru and very unlikely we would get in a crash heck i would ride back with him thru that but on a road trip or on a road or going more then 10 miles per hour NU UH


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## catahoulamom (Sep 23, 2010)

bridget246 said:


> I'm just thinking people are making this into a much larger deal than it really is.


I remember begging my grandpa to let me ride in the back of his pickup, and he would once we got on the dirt roads that lead to his house because there was never any traffic. I think a human being choosing to go for a ride in the back of a pickup is different from strapping a dog in a kennel to the roof of a car and going on a vacation (I'm guessing they were driving long distance?) I personally think it is a big deal, especially if you're standing by your actions (I doubt anybody would still be talking about it if he had apologized and admitted to his ignorance and wrong-doing), but he thinks it was fine and that the dog enjoyed it.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

bridget246 said:


> I did it too. I remember really enjoying it. Seems like you are going so much faster when your not trapped in a car. I don't plan on repeating this with my kids. Nor would I ever strip a dog to the top of my car. I'm just thinking people are making this into a much larger deal than it really is.


I had great times in the backs of pickups, and so did my dogs  But i learned early on to put my hair in braids or I'd never get the tangles out.

I put Rebel in the back of the pickup to drive around my pastures. He's not totally in shape yet and he gets tired, so he gets a lift now and then. He loves it.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

catahoulamom said:


> I remember begging my grandpa to let me ride in the back of his pickup, and he would once we got on the dirt roads that lead to his house because there was never any traffic. I think a human being choosing to go for a ride in the back of a pickup is different from strapping a dog in a kennel to the roof of a car and going on a vacation (I'm guessing they were driving long distance?) I personally think it is a big deal, especially if you're standing by your actions (I doubt anybody would still be talking about it if he had apologized and admitted to his ignorance and wrong-doing), but he thinks it was fine and that the dog enjoyed it.


yes, because apparently the dog pooped everywhere and that's not usually a sign that they are enjoying themselves. And i think it was a 12 hour drive. And you are right - he just doesn't get it. Even before we knew it was dangerous, my parents would have never dreamed of putting our family dog on top of the car - some things you are just supposed to know. 

Really, there is a difference in being dangerous and being terrified. We were never scared in the back of the pickup even if we could have died any second. That dog was probably terrified.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

I guess my question would be would they do this again today. 35 years ago - right or wrong - things were different. We never wore seatbelts and my mom carpooled 14 kids to school in t he station wagon. Great idea no! Common back then - yep that and open pick up rides. My grandfather drove us all over Kentucky in the back of his pickup. Today that would just not happen. A lot of things used to be done that we know are dangerous and stupid today - it was common place then. I don't agree with it as we always treated our dogs like family - but obviously many other people treated them just like dogs. Sad to say. I am hoping most people have moved on in their thinking and realize our pets deserve much more than they were given in the past.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Liz said:


> I guess my question would be would they do this again today. 35 years ago - right or wrong - things were different. We never wore seatbelts and my mom carpooled 14 kids to school in t he station wagon. Great idea no! Common back then - yep that and open pick up rides. My grandfather drove us all over Kentucky in the back of his pickup. Today that would just not happen. A lot of things used to be done that we know are dangerous and stupid today - it was common place then. I don't agree with it as we always treated our dogs like family - but obviously many other people treated them just like dogs. Sad to say. I am hoping most people have moved on in their thinking and realize our pets deserve much more than they were given in the past.


My theory is it really was much safer back then because there weren't as many cars on the road.


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

xchairity_casex said:


> yeh you can bet your bum people all over are going to start doing this now becuase mitt did and "thats cool" so all these people are going to be like "well he did it and he didnt get in trouble"


After all the trouble he has gotten in over this event I doubt anyone will follow him. This will hurt him the election without a doubt so he didn't get away with it. He admitted that he wouldn't do it today so I guess in a way he realized there was something wrong with it. A simple apology, I didn't realize the risk back then and we are lucky are trip was safe and people probably would have shut up about a long time ago. Presidents, and people want to be presidents don't seem to like admitting that they ever did anything wrong. "Didn't have sex with that lady", "I did not inhale". But that is getting us a little off topic and I hope I was careful enough to not turn this into a political debate.


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

xellil said:


> My theory is it really was much safer back then because there weren't as many cars on the road.


LOL you never seen me in the Nova i use to have. It was not safer when I was on the road! *laughs*

I really want to get another fast car. Gave up the Nova to save on gas. Now I'm stuck making repairs on a car that has a computer in it...


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

bridget246 said:


> LOL you never seen me in the Nova i use to have. It was not safer when I was on the road! *laughs*
> 
> I really want to get another fast car. Gave up the Nova to save on gas. Now I'm stuck making repairs on a car that has a computer in it...


My favorite car was my 1962 Chevy II. i think it was the precursor to the Nova. It had about three moving parts and I could literally stand in the open space under the hood. Plus, i could fix just about any problem it had, and it rarely had any.

I hit an antelope dead on once and the only thing damaged was the little metal ring around the headlight. I don't know if it was very safe - my son rode in a car seat and it wasn't strapped to anything - but it felt like a little tank.

My last fast car was a Mustang GT I traded in back in 2005 to get a better commuter car. I still regret it.


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## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

xellil said:


> My theory is it really was much safer back then because there weren't as many cars on the road.


not to mention people were not as distracted back then by cell phones, cd players,fiddling with the GPS,dvd players,ipods,ect
back then people had the radio on not picking out the right cd to play so they rarely fiddled with much in the car.
not saying they never fiddled with anything jsut not as much


i rember when i was little my moms car had back seats that foldd down while in back i would fold the seat down and climb into the truck and close the seat my mom would get sooo angry with me saying 
"what if we got pulled over by a cop huh? he would arrest me for having a kid in the trunk!!"

i didnt care through i thought it awsome


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Now, I thought i had ridden in all parts of a car, including the little area below the back window - but never in the trunk! That IS awesome.


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

My friend just recently posted a picture she took from her car of the truck in front of her. There was a crate fastened to the truck bed with a bloodhound in it. Which, I guess is safe. However, it was POURING down rain. Inconsiderate and cruel if you ask me. If it rains, pull over under a gas station awning or something!

The Romney's are morons.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

wolfsnaps88 said:


> My friend just recently posted a picture she took from her car of the truck in front of her. There was a crate fastened to the truck bed with a bloodhound in it. Which, I guess is safe. However, it was POURING down rain. Inconsiderate and cruel if you ask me. If it rains, pull over under a gas station awning or something!
> 
> The Romney's are morons.


Alot of people around here carry **** dogs in the bed of their trucks, but the crates are covered in tarps. I agree - if it's not rainy dogs shouldn't be out in the sun and their crates should be covered.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/genera...n-2012-election-everyone-read.html#post186329


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

you know what?... we keep talking about what we did back when.... Heck, I too recall riding in the back of my grandfather's pickup truck. That was in the 1980's.

Frankly, I'm not as irritated by Romney for doing what he did(though I don't like it)...

Moreso, its this constant drumbeat of the Deer in Headlights look where the Right responds with...."WHAT, I don't see it being that big of a deal."

NO, dipdongs. The appropriate response is..."Well, we did a helluva lot of stupid things in the 70's and 80's. Our Dog was never injured but by the same tolken, he easily could have been hurt or killed. No one should make the same mistake we made."


See, was it THAT hard Romney's? And we can move on. Just like a 11 year old boy you can't through to.


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## Itty bitty Kitty (Dec 26, 2011)

At first I misread the title as " 36% of Americans think its ok to strap your Dog to the top of your *cat*." Needless to say I did a double take lol


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Itty bitty Kitty said:


> At first I misread the title as " 36% of Americans think its ok to strap your Dog to the top of your *cat*." Needless to say I did a double take lol



HAHAHA! I'd like to know who those people are


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## PunkyPug (Apr 4, 2012)

Emma uses this:
Amazon.com: Easy Rider Car Harness - Small: Pet Supplies

I also have one of those "handle leashes" to secure it to the top of the seat belt (on the belt that goes into the car) and I always have that belt "locked" in place.

I fashion it like this because Emma likes to hog the window and the handle leash lets her stay secure and have fun with the window.

My best friend isn't the best braker in the world, but even with me driving (I brake pretty darn good) Emma will still fall off the seat without her car harness.


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## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

cesar has to ride willy nilly in my BFs car becuase its a 2 seater i buckle up then he sits on my lap. it is dangerous and i dont like it but what can i do its my bfs car and i dont drive 
and i am certiantly NOT going to be strapping Cesar to the roof ANYTIME SOON.
i might later though LOL j/k

well unless he died and i had him stuffed by that guy on american stuffers ask them to pose him standing up with his tongue hanging out and his ears flowing back then super glue him to the top of the car could you imagine the looks ide get HAHA


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## BrittanyM (Jan 28, 2012)

kevin bradley said:


> So Yahoo is doing a poll on whether you feel it is safe to strap your Dog in its crate to the top of your vehicle. I just took the poll and they give you the answers...
> 
> Currently...
> 64% unsafe
> ...


Omg... If I saw that I would be livid and probably try to get those people to pull over, that is insane!


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

Oh my... I have no words for this except GOOD LORD!


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

Itty bitty Kitty said:


> At first I misread the title as " 36% of Americans think its ok to strap your Dog to the top of your *cat*." Needless to say I did a double take lol


Now that sounds funny. I think snorkles might be small enough to fit. 

Here snorkles. I have a deer rib for you.


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