Should Pets Be Required to Wear a Seat Belt?

It's kind of difficult. My family has one harness that attaches to a seat belt between two dogs and both dogs always manage to wriggle into a bad situation. It's the right size and everything. We've learned not to use a seat belt harness anymore.

They should be restrained in some way so they're not flopping around the car.

Good luck getting the damn animal to stay in the seatbelt.

No no no and no.

I don't think it is necessary. I don't have pets in my car, or house.

What sear belt would contain this squirmy little pest. Velvet & Spuds ran all over the car.

No I think they might kill the pet! ):

Safety first I'd rather my little bro be safe instead of lying on the road somewhere...

Is that your dog? So adorable!!! What breed is he/she?

Not mine but i have one that looks just like it it's a Maltipoo (Maltese Poodle mix)

I don't think it should be mandatory, but it IS a good idea. I'm gonna look into getting one for my golden retriever, he is a big boy and I would feel awful if he got hurt in an accident.

Children are, and pets can cause more damage and distraction if unrestrained.

However, some pets cannot be restrained because it could cause undue stress to them and they could seriously hurt themselves in such a situation. If a pet's just had surgery, a seatbelt may aggravate the surgery site.

So I don't think that there should be a law, simply because it would be more harmful in some situations, and I don't think that a law about pets in cars should exist. I do think that pet owners should be responsible and do what's best for their pet's safety during travel. Whether that means a kennel, a seatbelt or harness, or not restraining their pet at all in the car. I think the fines and possible jail time associated with it are ridiculous, though.

Besides, how are you going to fit your pet for a mandated car harness if you can't take them to the pet store with you? It's much more difficult if your dog is a mix-breed or built a bit differently than most dogs to find the right size of things without your dog being there.

I think Illegal Aliens should be required to learn how to read and obey signs, though. That would be a step in the right directiion; as far as safety on the road goes.

my idiot dog just humped my pillow... i could care less

Yes, pets should be restrained when possible, however we don't need yet another nanny state law.

nope,kids on school busses dont buckle up.

Not necessarily a seat belt, but some form of restraint. A cage or other carrier is sufficient to keep the pet confined. I'm not so much worried for the safety of the pet, but for the other people on the road, who are put at risk when a dog is running around the car, distracting the driver.

Pets are really dangerous to have in the car, they walk around and distract the driver causing alot of accidents and if they aren't secured that accident will most likely cost the pet its life.

Every owner should have the responsibility to secure their pet while in the car, whether it be a seat belt or a cage/box.
If it takes police to enforce this responsibility then so be it.

People voting no are totally wrong about this...Having animals jumping around in the car is unsafe for the driver and the pet....in an accident, the pet has no defense and basically becomes an animal being thrown around in a car, sustaining injuries of all sorts...and they can not stop themselves...It's no different than having a child loose in the car....I have two dogs and they are belted it with a special harness that allows them to sit up, and turn around, lay down...but DOES NOT allow them to come flying thru the split
in between the two front seats jumping on me and barking in my ear when they see something that freaks them out...And they don't look like the seat belt in the photo at all....Many accidents have happened due to having your dog on your lap, or jumping around in the car....just ask your insurance agent....Plus, think about this...if you are holding your pet, and you are not belted in, and in an accident, you are most likely going to crush your pet in some way.

But, every day I see people with dogs loose in the car, and just about jumping out of the window...it is not safe, and I wish all those people with commonsense would use it...

Human seatbelts would do little to protect an animal, they are not designed for that.

This would be another "feel good" law that would accomplish nothing and we already have too many dumb laws in our ever expanding Nanny State.

Dog seat belts are a harness that the dog wears that a human seatbelt goes through the back of.

And they even have different styles and colors! :D

I love my dog and only want the best for her, but there is no way that she would stay in a seat belt! So would it make me a safer driver being distracted by her wimpering and doing whatever it took to get out of the seat belt/harness? I highly doubt it!

Certainly safer listening to that than having the dog jumping on your lap and licking your face, or hitting the gear shift, etc...

I guess I made the mistake of assuming that other dogs are like mine and yes I know what they say about that. However, my dog doesn't try to get up front. She's perfectly happy in the back and just dreaming about me rolling the window down.

By Wisconsin law, pets (dogs, cats, birds, whatever) are supposed to be in cages.

I think pet owners should be educated about pet restraints first. I did not know that they existed ;-)

It sounds like a good idea to buckle up your pets, but people shouldn't be fined for it.

Obviously, if a human is in danger of getting hurt, a pet with no sense of driving is to be protected more than human.

what about kids on a school bus?

Well, aren't you supposed to be packed into a school bus like sardines, so that in the event of an accident, no one will move simply due to the friction?

BILL's. Its about pets,
now school bus with 50 in it, they are painted Yellow throughout the world.

whats color got to do with it,when the bus crashes,kids are thrown all over the bus,yet they have to be confined in an auto.

Safety first

instead should be required to be put a pet carrier if possible

yes , for the safety of all

"Required"?
That means legally punishable for their owners.
I agree that pets should not ride in the back of pickup trucks untethered, but a seat-belt law for pets is a bit too Big-Brother for America. Ireland can be as unfree as they choose.

I tried to do this with my dog before he died but was never able to get the harness thingy to work properly. Once he nearly hung himself on it, and I quit using it and confined him to the backseat only. He was a large dog. Cats and smaller dogs can be belted in in a carrier fairly easily.