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July 30, 2008 3:22 PM

Should puppies be banned?

All best wishes to a Seattle police officer recovering from a traffic collision that left the community howling for explanations.

The accident, blamed on a playful puppy distracting the driver, has Seattle City Hall wondering if young dogs should be banned from automobiles.
What do you think, should puppies join cell phones on the list of items stricken from cars? One idea is to bag frisky pets while a vehicle is in motion. Interesting, but some worry the proposal conflicts with a new ordinance to discourage use of plastic grocery sacks.

An early, emotional suggestion to require dogs under one year be sedated has no support. Though in a city with more dogs than kids, mandatory sedation is being considered for two-year-old children on buses.

Others would link annual license tab renewals to Seattle dog owners installing canine seats or doggie-shoulder restraints. They are already required by several Scandinavian municipalities. Obedience classes for transported dogs, funded by a six-year levy, might be an alternative.
Nothing is ever easy. There is debate the levy might work better in 2010 when pet owners will see plans for a dog run on the Viaduct.

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Posted by dogwalker

3:50 PM, Jul 30, 2008

Yes, for the safety of the animal, driver and other passengers they should be restrained when riding in a car. Aside from distracting the driver, in the event of an accident, an animal becomes an unsecured projectile. Picture Muffin hitting the windshield at 60 mph. I have a carseat for my dog. It boosts the dog high enough to see out the window and a harness restrains the dog from jumping around and also hooks to the seatbelt. Everyone's secured, restrained and safe.

Posted by Apollo

9:07 PM, Jul 30, 2008

Yes.

Animals in laps? Craziness.

Oh liddull poochiee woochieee....who's a good doggiee? who loves her poochiee woochiee.. (honk) oh #@*%&

Sorry officer, my dog distracted me.

No, you decided to be distracted by placing a moving, live, and easily distractable animal on your lap while moving a 3,000 pound hunk of metal.

No brainer. Not legal.

Posted by dismayed

10:09 AM, Jul 31, 2008

I am assuming this is a joke- the city cannot really be considering a ban on dogs in cars. Why not just require a restraint for dogs. Responsible pet owners already use them.

Posted by Man down

10:17 AM, Jul 31, 2008

Why don't we just cut to the chase and outlaw stupid people from driving?

I love dogs, I have a cell phone. I also like surfing the web, climbing a mountain and playing billiards. But, I don't do them while I am driving.

People need to respect that they are at the helm of a 3000-7000 lb hunk of mass going down the road and that they really need to pay attention... full attention. I have been hit as a pedestrian before, so this issue strikes a nerve.

This driver should have their license pulled for 5 years.

Posted by linda

1:08 PM, Jul 31, 2008

When I first saw this on the news on TV they mentioned it was a pit bull puppy. Maybe it should be euthanized for causing this attack!!!

Posted by Lonnie

7:52 AM, Aug 05, 2008

Next they tell us when the dog needs to go to the BATHROOM...

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