Really Dumb Question About Dogs and Driving

I hope you got a good bawling out about doing something so silly, because I don't like the way you imply in your post that what you were doing was insignificant, and that the police were wasting time telling you off when they could be doing something more important.

Not only would the dog die if you were in an accident (correction: you would have killed the dog - doggy avatar?  for shame) but dogs tend to be silly, and could get restless and move while you were driving, causing you to lose control of the vehicle and hurt someone else.

The police telling you off was far from insignificant, and yes, you were lucky that it wasn't a traffic cop (not a traffic warden) that caught you, because at the very least you would have points on your licence and a big fine.  Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

Hiya
I'm with elyl on this one -

Being a relatively 'new' to Dog ownership guy when it comes to having him in the car I've ALWAYS had him in the boot/trunk area with the cargo/dog guard up. Used to have a smaller Volvo V40 when he was 'small' and have since upgraded the car to a BMW 5 Series Touring/Wagon.

I think it's utterly ludicrous to have a pet dog no matter what size in the cabin of the car, and even more thoughtless to have them on your lap whilst driving. It only takes a sudden movement by the dog, to trigger an auto response from you which could easily cause you to lose control of your vehicle. What 'could' happen next doesn't even need mentioning.

i'd say get an appropriate sized car, get the dog guard's fitted if not there already and get your dog to learn that's his place in the car ONLY.

I got immensely miffed the other day with a woman and her family of 3-4 kids squashed into some supermini and she had her little dog on her lap on it's hind legs peering through and over the steering wheel. With all the commotion her kids were doing in the car, the excited dog and her as the driver utterly distracted - i'd hate to think what was likely to occur.

Admittedly, I've only ever had to transport my dog in the front when I had to fold down the entire rear area to carry a very large box. I had him in the front seatand got the seat belt around him as best i could whilst he fidgeted due to him not being used to being there. Drove home 20 mph slower than usual on the motorway and was constantly on the lookout to keep the drive as smooth as possible for him. Wish I didn't have to have done it but there was nothing I could do that particular day as the van we normally use was out of the area.

Please adjust your dog and transport situation accordingly asap

Cheers ! DtM West London & Slough UK!

completing a sudoku puzzle with your feet

*laughs so hard she has tears in her eyes* OMG!

She made a mistake. Did she really deserve all this abuse?

She made a mistake. Did she really deserve all this abuse?

I don't think she deserves the abuse however I think what people were trying to say is the question she asked should be common sense and the fact that she was acting condescending to the officer is what they're yelling at her for.

She made a mistake. Did she really deserve all this abuse?

Even after the office told her about her mistake, she continued to question it, asking if it was illegal.  It doesn't matter if it was legal or not, it was not smart.  I think that's the problem.

[Mod Hat ON]

Suzanne's right.  We've established that it probably is indirectly illegal and that it's not a good idea.  Now, let's just let it go, shall we?

I guess I should have said something sooner. To make a long story short. I ended up going to the police station the next day and telling them what happened and asking for a ticket. They were so nice they tried to talk me out of it. I did describe the officer and the two policeman that were helping me said a last name and rolled their eyes?

Yael.. I thought this board was for asking questions?

Darlithia... Me condescending? You don't know me and if you did, you would see your error.

For all the rest of you that were polite in your feedback. Thank you.
BTW.... The little guy is now safe and secure when he rides with me in the car.

I honestly think there's a little over-reaction here because the precise circumstances are unknown -- Big dog, little dog, dog that will sit quietly vs. one which is always on the move, etc.

As has already been mentioned, there is no specific law against driving with an animal on your lap; it could only come under driving without due care & attention, not being in proper control of the car, or something similar. 

I did describe the officer and the two policeman that were helping me said a last name and rolled their eyes?

Every area seems to have one.  When the other officers say something like "Oh yes, he's known for his 'zealous' approach," it probably means this is the umpteenth tale they've heard and they are as fed up with him as everybody else.

We had a W.P.C. working the little town near here a couple of summers ago who behaved the same way.  I was driving about 15 m.p.h. through the High St., windows down as it was a warm summer day.  I actually saw her glaring at me as I approached and then she quite literally shouted at me in the same manner as you describe.  I'm sure regulars will guess why, but the way she was behaving you'd think I'd just come running out of the bank with a gun and a mask and she was shouting "Stop thief!"      

The way she was almost screaming across the street at me, I very nearly stopped the car right there and asked her who the heck she thought she was, but discretion got the better of me and I just kept going.

I found out later that she'd been going around the town like a nazi-stormtrooper all day and riled just about everybody over one thing or another.

Yael.. I thought this board was for asking questions?

I didn't say it wasn't.