This is in response to the lady who thinks that those of us who carry our dogs in the back of pickups are stupid owners.
Rather than sit behind your computer and tell us rural folks how much you disagree with how we do things you should take a few minutes and talk with those of us who do allow our dogs to ride in the back of pickups. We are owners whose dogs go everywhere with us, so we can’t have a dog who doesn’t obey our commands or who runs around completely uncontrollable like so many dogs of all these so called “smart” owners you are talking about. Our dogs are a functioning part of our family just like our children therefore they are taught right from wrong at a very early age, which is more than most dogs these days. My wife and I have had 12 dogs in 32 yrs together and are very proud to say none of them have ever fallen out of a moving vehicle, or been injured or been killed. That’s not dumb luck, that is good training. Our dogs average about 35,000 or more miles per year in the back of our trucks. That’s more miles than most people drive in three years so I think it is safe to say our dogs are well seasoned riders.
I would bet you a steak dinner at Lolo Creek steak house that there are fewer dogs in the valley that ride in the back of pickups that come into veterinary clinics for injuries than dogs that ride in Subaru’s with dog cages. My wife has worked in the veterinary world for over 35 years and would back that statement in a minute.
Yes, they could die in a crash, but that is a fact of life that each of us, even as humans, lives with each time we climb into a vehicle and go down the road. We can’t let fear of the things that might happen hold us hostage. I for one would rather the State of Montana keep its attention focused on running the state rather than passing ridiculous laws that just make our judicial system more complex and bottle necked.
If you would like help training your dog, feel free to flag me down and I would be more than happy to help you train your little friend how to be a good canine citizen and learn to ride in the back of your car. I’m sure there are many more like me here in Ravalli county who would rather you talked with us rather than condemn our actions. I am the one in the red Dodge pickup with the well mannered Akitas riding in back.
Mike Cassidy
Stevensville