I live in DC and for 1.5 years have driven to work every morning with my dog sitting in the front seat with her head out the window doing what dogs do. I've driven past thousands and thousands of officers during this time and have never been stopped or warned before. I can't count the times I've pulled up next to an officer in their car and the officer actually talks to my dog. After thinking about it I was wrong and should have her restrained with a dog seat belt type thing for her safety, but the officer told me that she should be in the cargo area of my SUV and not in the front seat. I specifically asked if I could get a dog restraint system that ties into the seatbelt of the passenger seat and he said no. Does this sound right? Where would I find out what the actual law is? The warning was for "distracted drving" and since this is a pretty vague warning I'm guessing that even with a passenger seat doggy restraint he could say I am still distracted. I really enjoy having my dog up there with me and I get lots of smiles from people everyday...I'd hate to have to stop. Any suggestions, comments, help? Any DC officers in here?
(Wash, DC) Got warning for Dog in front seat with head out window...
- Thread starter stang99
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mustangkid05 said:
Man...I was shaking like a little girl. It wasn't one of those times when you get pulled over for something you knew you were doing wrong...this was an out of nowhere type thing that really caught me off guard....scared the $hit out of me.
Call the clerk of the court and explain the situation and ask what the statute/ordinance says. Or do a search on WestLaw or Lexis.
I watched a guy get pulled over at the border of CT and RI for having his dog in the back of his pick up, it was just a compact truck and the dog was pacing back and forth in the bed of the truck while driving. And that was the only thing the officer could have pulled him over for, cuz he was not breaking any traffic laws and such.
CobraMarkVIII said:
His tag wasnt expired, he had a front plate, his windows werent illegally tinted, he didnt change lanes without signaling, there wasnt a BOLO on his vehicle?
In California, we have a specific section in the vehicle code prohibiting transportation of a dog in a pickup bed unless it is tethered, caged or the bed is racked so the dog cannot fall out. The only exception is for ranchers or farmers in rural areas.
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