Secure your dog and you’ll both be safer

IT is not kind or safe to allow a dog freedom in a car. You and the dog will feel much safer if it is either secured in a travel kennel or is restrained on the floor of the car so it cannot see out of the car or with a dog guard between you and it.
An unrestrained dog could fly through the air, go through the windscreen or break your neck in an accident. The National Canine Defence League urges dog owners to give their dog the same attention they would give a small child when they travel. So always make sure that the dog is properly restrained in the rear of the car. In many parts of Europe it is an offence to allow dogs to be loose or unsecured in cars. A costly fine can result if stopped by the police.
Part of the problem is caused when the puppy is brought home on the lap and continues to travel that way while small. When it grows it is put in the back of the car and, not surprisingly, does not like the idea. This can result in barking and jumping about. The owner turns round to shout and an accident can happen.
Whose fault? The dog or the owner?
Stupid owners let dogs hang their heads out of the window. This can cause severe eye and nose problems and many a dog has been killed having jumped out of the window of a travelling car. Far better for the dog to be on the floor without even being able to see out of a window.
In most countries, including Spain, your private car becomes a public vehicle when it is on a public highway.
Dogs loose in cars and barking are causing a nuisance in a public place, and you are liable if someone is bitten by your dog through an open window of your car. Small dogs that sit on a driver’s knee or are not secured could be a distraction and heavy fines could follow.