Ravyk Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 A few questions I need some well thought out answers to. Do you think it is appropriate to allow a dog to travel in the back of a ute, UNDER a closely fitting leather tray cover like this one? Would it make a difference if the dog was tethered or untethered? Would travelling at night make it any more acceptable [as then heat from the sun is not an issue]? Would short trips be acceptable? What would consitute as a short trip? What kind of injuries could be sustained by a dog travelling under a tray cover [tethered or untethered]? How long would it take for a dog to get hypothermia if the dog was wet [ie, had been swimming and hadn't been towelled off] and travelling in the back of a ute at night? Not a particularly cold night but not a warm night either. How long would it take for serious problems to emerge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazydoglady Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 No. Just no. Too many things can go wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esky the husky Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I don't know. But I once saw a GSD in the back of one of those utes, with the lid for the tray. The poor dog had the lid fall down on him at 50km/hr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravyk Posted January 26, 2011 Author Share Posted January 26, 2011 It's a soft tray cover, not the hard lid tray cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravyk Posted January 26, 2011 Author Share Posted January 26, 2011 No. Just no. Too many things can go wrong. I need specifics please. Anything and everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasha Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I have a ute and dogs but I would NOT put my dogs under that at all. Put a block of chocolate under it and drive to the local shops. See how it holds up. Those covers attract the heat like you wouldn't believe and with very little air movement and air space above the head you would be asking for trouble. I would tether the dog. They need something to be able to brace on for cornering and accelerating etc. Best option would be to strap down a collapsable crate with a shade cover or get a dog crate specially made for the ute. I have travelled mine in the middle of winter on the back of the ute and they were fine. Although I did put a coat on them and tie them fairly short so they are out of the wind draft from driving. They tend to lay down and stay below the wind anyway. I now have crate attached to the back of the ute so they can be more comfortable in all weather as well safer if I was to have an accident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swizzlestick Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Not under any circumstances ......well, unless it was already dead. My car is soooo loud (suped up exhaust) but it's the fumes that get sucked in that are the worst. No fresh air, and the heat under there is much worse than on the outside. Plus I'd say it would scare the hell out of a dog. I know a vet nurse who put her Lab x in her ute with a hard cover as a 2yo. He is now 6yo and won't walk within about 10m of any car/ute at all now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 No way. Too hot, possible heat stroke, not enough air flow, and a real risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and death. I would never have a dog in a ute untethered as I have seen too many smashed and dead from not being tethered in utes or tethered too long to even consider it. Hypothermia to me wouldn't be a huge risk unless it was very cold as there would be no air flow and they heat up quickly. If there was no cover and on a cool night yes hypothermia is a real risk. There is no such thing as a short trip 6 minutes under that on a warm day could mean a dog dead or close too from heat exhaustion. Not tetheresd and under a cover a dog can quite easily end up with fractured n=bones especially if the ute was to have to suddenly swerve or brake. I have seen a dog with a snapped Femur after an near miss in a car and she went off the seat onto the floor and collected the glove box on the way. There is a large area for a dog to gain a lot of speed before coming to a sudden stop against the sides or cab. Hope I covered everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmkelpie Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 If the replies above have not convinced you I suggest you try it out yourself (i.e. YOU not the dog). Hop in the back of the ute and under the cover with the engine running and sun streaming down (I would not recommend being driven along though)! If that is bad just imagine what it would be like to be sliding around etc when the car is actually moving! It would be an oven in there! And imagine if you had a car accident!! There are strict laws to protect dogs in cars now and if your dog died in there as a result of heat stroke or in an accident you will face fines of up to $22,000 and jail time. A properly secured crate really is the way to go when you have a ute Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMAK Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 i wouldn't put a dog under the cover it would be soo hot and scarey. Why not remove the cover?? and securely attach the dog with two heavey duty ropes/chain and clips so the dog has to stay still or use a create if you are travelling long distances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 It's a soft tray cover, not the hard lid tray cover. I would think it would get very hot. How much fresh air does it get in? Also, the dog would be forced to crouch down the whole ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Do you think it is appropriate to allow a dog to travel in the back of a ute, UNDER a closely fitting leather tray cover like this one? Ermmm.. NO. as said fumes heat restricted amount of fresh air no vision and who has a breathable leather tonneau cover?? :oThey are usually synthetic ..and waterproof (airproof) Unless you are travelling in temps close to zero- I would not think of hypothermia ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 perhaps put the person concerned under the tonneau cover ,start the motor and reverse /go forward for a couple of minutes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiechick Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Nice ute. Not a fan of dogs in the back of them in any form though. We were walking our kelpies through town once and passed another kelpie tethered in the back of a parked ute. Dog decided he would jump off to say hello to mine and was left hanging by his collar, luckily I was there to get him back in. If it was the only choice of transport I had I would look at : Fibreglass canopy fitted firstly, if that is too costly then I would get crates built in with a canvas cover so they had some protection against the weather and for further safety than just tethering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiekaye Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 perhaps put the person concerned under the tonneau cover ,start the motor and reverse /go forward for a couple of minutes? X 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravyk Posted January 26, 2011 Author Share Posted January 26, 2011 (edited) The person in question is OH brother who we share a house with, he has been taking one of the dogs who lives here to the beach in the evenings/night time. Whilst the dog is not technically mine [not chipped in my name but the MIL's name] the dog is registered in mine and I and OH pay for food and vet bills. I don't mind him taking her to the beach, as she was part of their family before I moved in. I just found out last night that he brings her home from the beach in the back of his ute unteathered under the tray cover because she is sandy and wet, and he doesn't want sand in his car. Not only that, my OH see no issue with it other than the fact she isn't tethered. [i need to throw a brick at him] I'm also a little worried about hypothermia if he did tether her without the cover on while she was wet. I don't know if it a possibility or not which is why I'm asking. The closest beach is about 15-20min drive from here. I need to convince OH that it is not appropriate for a dog to be travelling, tethered or not under a tray cover, so he can talk to his brotherr. [long story why I can't] Edited January 26, 2011 by Ravyk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 (edited) The person in question is OH brother who we share a house with, he has been taking one of the dogs who lives here to the beach in the evenings/night time. Whilst the dog is not technically mine [not chipped in my name but the MIL's name] the dog is registered in mine and I and OH pay for food and vet bills. I don't mind him taking her to the beach, as she was part of their family before I moved in. I just found out last night that he brings her home from the beach in the back of his ute unteathered under the tray cover because she is sandy and wet, and he doesn't want sand in his car. Not only that, my OH see no issue with it other than the fact she isn't tethered. [i need to throw a brick at him] I'm also a little worried about hypothermia if he did tether her without the cover on while she was wet. I don't know if it a possibility or not which is why I'm asking. The closest beach is about 15-20min drive from here. I need to convince OH that it is not appropriate for a dog to be travelling, tethered or not under a tray cover, so he can talk to his brotherr. [long story why I can't] I'd be more worried about hyperthermia. Hot ute, no ventilation in the back and wet dog.. not a good combination. Water holds heat and slows heat loss.. a wet dog is at risk of overheating as much if not more than a dry one. There's a reason they scrape excess water off racehorses after hosing them down. Dogs deserve better treatment than transport in wheeled suitcases. No reason I can see why the cover can't be removed and the dog tethered safely in the tray. Edited January 26, 2011 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nepolean Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 do be careful we lost a great dog,he had been travelig a long time in the back with no problems one day decided to jump off maybe seen a rabbit but died of injuries always secure dog so he cannot jump off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I'm also a little worried about hypothermia i Not a concern unless it's in the middle of Winter, I would think .... when I guess he wouldn't be at the beach? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheilaheel02 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 (edited) Agree with what others have said regarding the safety and comfort of the dog/s. I have a friend from Agility who was travelling on the highway with his dogs in his ute (very similar to this one) and one of them was missing when he stopped. Very fortunately for him, she did turn up again at a pound some distance away. He has since had a fibreglass canopy fitted to his ute. Another Agility friend travelling to Albury discovered at Holbrook that he was missing a dog from the back of his station wagon! Apparently, the back had not been closed properly, bounced open, dog went out the back and it must have slammed shut again somewhere along the highway. Despite searching constantly, the dog could not be located and he had given up any hope of him being found. Through my rescue contacts I managed to discover that the dog had been picked up and taken to Yass pound and subsequently adopted by someone who felt sorry for the old dog. Thankfully, the person who had saved him from death row was very understanding and returned the dog so I could take him home to my friend. That was one emotional reunion I can tell you. Both of these of these real examples could have easily had a less than happy outcome. I have a high top canopy fitted to my Hilux and while it is nowhere near as 'cool' as a big silver roll bar, I feel that my dogs are much safer travelling that way. The highway I travel to and from town has a reasonable amount of traffic and a lot of semi-trailers which barrel along it. There are always lots of wildlife carcasses littered along the sides. I have a large crate inside the canopy as well. I have had a rescue dog squeeze out of a fully closed crate and through the smallest opening in the canopy window while I was briefly stopped. I just couldn't believe this dog had managed to get out of where he was, but he did! I found him safely as well thankfully. The crate is now double secured with heavy duty cable ties and I'm investigating heavy duty mesh screens for the inside of the windows for additional security. In conclusion, when you think it's safe, think again and have someone else also check it over for you for another perspective. S Edited January 26, 2011 by Sheilaheel02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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