Jersey dogs: Buckle up or face stiff fines

New Jersey is cracking down on those who fail to use seat belts — dogs included.

And the fine for an unrestrained dog — unlike the $46 one for an unbuckled human — can cost you up to $1,000.

Because it’s considered animal cruelty under state law, penalties for transporting your dog without a restraint range from $250 to $1,000 and as much as six months in jail.

“That’s for each offense,” Col. Frank Rizzo, the police superintendent for the New Jersey SPCA, told reporters this week. “So, if you have more than one animal loose in your car, just do the math.”

Rizzo and representatives from the state the Motor Vehicle Commission briefed reporters about the law as New Jersey entered the initial phase of its “Click It or Ticket” campaign, at the outset of which police in 23 Bergen and Passaic county towns issued 359 tickets for back-seat violations — none of them involving dogs.

While some reports are calling the doggie seat belt mandate a new law, the Bergen Record’s Road Warrior column reports that leaving your dog unrestrained in the back seat of your car violates state statute 4:22:18, which is 16 years old.

(An unbuckled adult human in the back seat only became illegal in New Jersey three years ago.)

Rizzo said the high fines will help people become aware of the dangers of dogs traveling in cars unrestrained. “Some people tell us they like to let their pets hang their heads out the window to take in the fresh air, but dogs and cats become projectiles in a crash,”  Rizzo said.

“It’s much cheaper to invest about $25 in a restraint system than to deal with the consequences of a crash,” said MVC Chief Administrator Ray Martinez, who used his own golden retriever-poodle mix to show reporters how to harness a dog into a back seat.

Patch.com, in an unscientific online poll, was finding little support for mandating dog restraints, and found few police officers interested in enforcing it.

“Seriously, the best part of my day is hitting the road with my dog sitting right beside me in my truck.” said one veteran officer said who asked not to be identified.

Another thought the law was intrusive, and its penalties too severe.

We welcome your thoughts on this topic (and everything else, too, of course), and we’ll share our own, bearing in mind I only started wearing my seat belt about six years ago, when I bought a new car, and only to stop the eternal dinging that resulted when I didn’t put it on.

Ace doesn’t wear a seat belt or restraint. At 130 pounds, he travels loose in the folded down back seat, sometimes with his head resting on the console between the front seats. He does from time to time stick his head out the back window, though I discourage it on Interstate highways.

Having recently completed a year-long, 27,000 mile road trip with him, I can’t imagine what that would have been like for him if he had been strapped down the whole time.

Our trip was all about being free and liberated — for a year at least — and while I’m probably over-protective of him in most ways, this is a step that, while it’s becoming more and more politically correct, I don’t see taking.

Until authorities show up at my door, or pull me over in New Jersey, Ace rides free.

Posted by jwoestendiek June 6th, 2012 under Muttsblog.
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Comments

Comment from debbie
Time June 6, 2012 at 9:52 am

I agree with you John

Comment from bert granado
Time June 6, 2012 at 11:29 am

I love my dog, I care very much for him, he is very important in my life, and both of us “love freedom”. This great state of NJ is becoming a totalitarium state, killing our freedom little by little. Christie if I knew, I wouldn’t never vote for you. tks.

Comment from selkie
Time June 6, 2012 at 12:06 pm

While I think the law – and the fines for breaking it – a complete and utter money grab and ridiculous – I’m actually all for safetly restraining dogs. Unfortunately, you can’t legislate common sense. I find small dog owners are the worst and cringe every time I see a dog sitting on the driver’s lap. I was hit from the back by a woman whose dog was jumping all over her and she hit the gas instead of the brake (we were at a stop light). But apart from the fact that your dog is DEAD even with a fairly minor hit (they DO become projectiles), there is the reality that if you’re in a bad accident and you are killed or unconscious – your dog is left unrestrained and a potential issue for rescuers – for him as well as you. My two GSDs would NEVER let anyone near me – if I were unconscious then it is entirely possible they would be shot or hurt as rescuers get them out of the way to get to the humans. I crate mine when we travel. They have windows open beside them and get the benefit of wind in their face but also are less likely to be hurt in the event of an accident.

Comment from Miss Jan
Time June 6, 2012 at 8:06 pm

While safe transport of dogs is an excellent idea I sure wish the laws against leaving dogs in cars on hot days were not only stronger but actually enforced including the guilty pet owners getting mandatory huge fines and maybe even jail time in addition to community service such as at animal shelters. There are so many needless tragedies due to animals left in cars and by now people who are doing this know perfectly well that they are doing something not only wrong but dangerous so the cruelty is deliberate. I fail to understand why Americans feel they should have the “right” to do “whatever they want to” with no restrictions when the results are often dire consequences for the “my property and I can do what I want with it” which happens to be a living creature.

Comment from Kim
Time June 7, 2012 at 11:22 am

We travel from Canada to Florida (driving through New Jersey) every year with our now 11-year-old 85 pound lab. She sleeps in the back seat pretty much the whole way, only looking out the window if we go into a town. While I agree that restraining a dog or crating in your vehicle is a good idea, I don’t see how our dog could sit up wearing a restraint the whole way. And her crate is too large to fit in the car. We may have to avoid going through NJ this year.

Comment from Patti Abbott-Bozzo
Time June 7, 2012 at 12:34 pm

I love my dog too, and she likes to sleep on the console in her bed between hubby and me, when we travel. Does anyone know if the seatbelt attachment can be hooked onto the passenger seatbelt in the front? Not sure how we are going to handle this.

Comment from Bruce
Time June 7, 2012 at 10:19 pm

We recently adopted a rescue dog and we couldn’t imagine doing or neglecting to do anything that would compromise her well being. That being said, this is just another nanny state intrussionby the government that could care less for yor or your pet’s safety, but it’s a money maker. If you’re one of those idiots who drives while your dog sits in your lap, you deserve what ever happens to you. But it’s you who screwed the rest of us who have brains and take care of our pets.

Comment from Larry Dunn
Time June 9, 2012 at 7:37 pm

I travel thru NJ, and my dog has a better ride than i do, with a bed in the back of my LandRover…and at 160 lbs and 7′ tall…there is no seatbelt sold to tie him to….nor would i want to as THAT would be abusive for a 3 hour ride thru the state…this is silly

Comment from Simon
Time June 14, 2012 at 8:39 pm

How idiotic that a fine for a child is 46, and an animal is 1000. Which one of you morons figured that was appropriate? Lawmakers in NJ are a pack of fools. You should all be fired.

Comment from Joanne
Time June 25, 2012 at 5:19 am

Invasion of privacy and liberty it may be but restrained means you are safer, your dog is safer and other motorists are too. A 130lb dog could kill you or another passenger if it became a projectile. Also dogs in dog seat belts restrained does not necessarily mean uncomfortable. Take a look at the Bergan car harness with adjustable tether which just allows your dog to stand up, see out of the window, yet remain safe.

http://www.fleecedogharnesses.co.uk/car/bergan-dog-car-harness-review/

Comment from Dawn
Time June 25, 2012 at 9:05 am

I take a 12 hour trip once per year with my two big dogs and they both wear a dog car harness. Their harness can be used with the seat belt of our vehicle or attached to the cargo rings in the back. It is not restrictive and allows them to sit, lay down, or stand. Plus, I stop every hour or so to let everyone stretch their legs.

Why do my dogs wear a harness? 1) Because I don’t want two 50+ pound dogs thrown at me in the event of a car accident (50 lbs x 50 mph x 2 dogs = 5,000 lbs of force); 2) Because my dogs are family and I want them to be just as protected as everyone else in the car; and 3) Because I don’t want them to distract me when I drive.

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