Confused Drivers Capture Video of a Dog Jumping on the Roofs of Cars While Stuck in Traffic

When you watch this video, you will probably be as confused as the drivers who captured it. A medium-sized white dog is leaping around amongst cars stuck on a busy highway. Luckily, because all of the cars are stationary the dog is not in any immediate danger. However, he is looking anxious and is trying to climb on car roofs as if he is looking for something. Perhaps he escaped from one of the cars and is now regretting it!

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Why Secure Dogs in Cars?

The scene in the above clip is obviously far from an ideal situation! Dogs should be safely secured in vehicles for any journey to protect both themselves and the human passengers of the vehicle.

Unsecured dogs are a distraction to the driver. They are unlikely to stay where you have put them and can end up causing a dangerous situation. Also, should a crash occur, the dog turns into a dangerous missile. They can collide with humans in the car and cause them injury. They can also injure themselves severely.

After a crash, an unrestrained dog is in further danger. If it is free on the highway, they can be struck by other vehicles.

How Do You Secure a Dog in a Car?

The way in which you secure your dog in your car depends on the size of the dog that you have, how often your dog travels in the car and your dog’s preference for where they like to sit. Depending on where you live, there may also be local laws stipulating how animals should be restrained in vehicles on the highway.

Dog guards are preferred by some owners. These are strong wire mesh structures that are fitted between the back of the seats and the trunk. It keeps the dog away from the seats so that they cannot climb over them. However, if the dog is not restrained then they could still get injured in a crash.

Other owners prefer to carry their dogs in a crate. However, the crate needs to be secured to the car or it will simply move around during a crash. The crate needs to be large enough to allow the dog to stand up, lie down, and turn around in comfort. In general, they are only suitable for smaller dogs on shorter journeys.

Finally, you could use a harness that fits around your dog’s chest and neck. Then, you attach the harness to the seatbelt of the car. This is generally considered to be the best and safest choice.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Jaromir Chalabala/Shutterstock.com