I’ve got a pretty strong opinion about dogs riding in the back of trucks and not being tied up or put in a dog crate. This is for one simple reason, they can fall out and be killed. And for this reason only, I never let my dog ride in the back of my truck loose.

I have heard all the excuses for letting a dog ride loose – “My dog has never been tied in the back of my truck.” or “I have hauled my dog loose all his life.” Some people even tell me my dog would probably fall out because of the way I drive! This is of course another good reason to tie your dog! I’m sure these excuses have worked for a lot of people. I remember when I was a kid and you never saw kids wear seatbelts. Obviously the rules changed when we realized just how dangerous that kind of thing was! The same kinds of dangers apply to dogs in the back of trucks and even more so because they’re less protected when riding in the back of a truck bed.

I have had so many people tell me about their dog falling out of their truck and getting run over. Just a few months ago a man called me and said he needed a good dog quick because his best dog fell out of the back of his truck, got run over and killed.

I know its a little extra effort to tie your dog in the back of the truck or put him in a dog crate. But, when you get to where you’re going it will still be there and alive. Make sure to also use a chain and not a rope as the dog can chew through a rope and get loose.

I suspect I’ll hear from some people about how they tied their dog in the truck and he hung himself. Well I believe if you tie him so he doesn’t have enough slack in the rope to get over the side, then he can’t fall over the side!

My dog never rides in my truck are anyone else’s truck without being tied or in a crate.

Good luck hauling your dogs!