Car Power Windows And Dogs

[Little Gifts]

Our streak of stressful situations continues! Stussy was in a bad dog fight a couple of weeks back and has developed some complications post the patch up surgery (and has to have more surgery). So we arrived at the vet this morning to discuss options and as she loves the smells when we go for a drive I was putting up all the windows. Because of where she was clipped I started putting the two windows on my side straight up then happened to see by some miracle that her head was actually sideways out of the back window I was putting up. I don't think it had been more than a second. She made no noise and exhibited no signs of trauma after release. I got my vet to check her over anyway. On the way home she wanted all the windows part down again and I realised the issue was she is usually wearing a harness when clipped in but due to healing wounds she is in a martingale and was able to actually reach further in the back seat.

It is a mistake I will never make again but I can't believe how easily it happened. I usually put the windows up then give the switch an extra flick to make sure it is inside the seal. I did a test on my front window with my hands to see if my car had some kind of auto sensor and couldn't believe the pressure exerted as the window went up. I've called my dealer asking whether my back windows have an auto sensor (my front driver's one doesn't seem to) and am waiting for a call back. I can't believe her wind pipe wasn't instantly crushed.

Has anything like this happened to anyone else? In all my years of having power windows it is my first incident. It has really eaten into my confidence. I think they will all be air cond trips from now on.

[oakway]

I never allow a dog to be loose in the car with the windows down. Your are asking for eye injuries if the dog sticks its head out of the car or should try and jump out. A dog restrained within the car yes, but never one that is loose.

[sheena]

Yes..this has happened to me one day while OH was driving. The back windows were partially down as we had been sitting in the shade. When we drove off, he automatically pushed the button on the rear windows & my girl had her nose out. Fortunately she screamed & I screamed & OH rectified it. No damage, but now when the car starts up, I notice she looks to the front, not out the window. Very frightening, so now we make a habit of putting up the rear windows before we move off...checking first that neither dog has his nose out. I am surprised there is not a sensor on them What happens if a child has his fingers in the window when it is closed.??

[Willem]

Yes..this has happened to me one day while OH was driving. The back windows were partially down as we had been sitting in the shade. When we drove off, he automatically pushed the button on the rear windows & my girl had her nose out. Fortunately she screamed & I screamed & OH rectified it. No damage, but now when the car starts up, I notice she looks to the front, not out the window. Very frightening, so now we make a habit of putting up the rear windows before we move off...checking first that neither dog has his nose out. I am surprised there is not a sensor on them What happens if a child has his fingers in the window when it is closed.??

...no worries, there is a sensor and the threshold for stopping the motor is actually very little.

[PossumCorner]

Even if it/they had auto sensors, I'd never trust the technology not to break down or to not work perfectly the one time it is needed. Vigilance to keep heads out of harm's way is probably more trustworthy. Easy for me to say, my old Magna has those old-fashioned hand-winders at the windows: the other two vehicles here are push-button - but not as flash as auto-sensor. Accidents will always happen, with or without technology. We can only learn from everyones' to keep ahead of them.

My worst was back in about 1965, the bad old days when choke-chain collars were the normal for training. So, ready to leave home, I had a Basenji in the car not secured (don't think doggy safety harness had been thought of, people seat-belts had only come into legislation against much argument). But with a chain collar looped around her neck. Of course she jumped out while I went back into the house for her lead. When I got back she had clipped one ring onto the coat hook as she jumped, so was hanging, unconscious. Full recovery, no problems, extraordinarily lucky.

Dogs and stationary cars, nothing has changed in 50 years, all still down to our duty of care and awareness. Glad Stuss is okay and still wanting to sniff the wind.

[Little Gifts]

I never allow a dog to be loose in the car with the windows down. Your are asking for eye injuries if the dog sticks its head out of the car or should try and jump out. A dog restrained within the car yes, but never one that is loose.

If you read my post you will notice she was clipped into the seat belt, not loose in the car. The issue was she is usually in her harness (which clips on her back) when she leaves the house but due to her healing wounds she was in a martingale collar and this one thing allowed her more range to move and she was standing on the arm rest with her head out of the window after I had stopped the car. Normally with her harness this is not possible. Lesson learnt for me.

I finally spoke to the dealer and the back windows do have sensors and are supposed to reverse the window going up if they encounter enough pressure. So I'm hoping that is what really happened and that whilst her head was out and the window was tight it was stopped at that point and not increasing in pressure. Still, it wont ever be happening again with my dogs!

[westiemum]

Yes its happened here too - Andy is a clever little man and he somehow learned that if he steps on that button the window goes down if his stupid mother has forgotten to put the child lock on! (Or there have been visitors in the car).

LG to be honest I think you got lucky or the autosenosr kicked in - its very easy to crush the trachea/break the hyoid. You might have hit the soft tissue between the cartilage rings - which while they can be damaged are much more flexible. But wouldn't want to make a habit of it!

[Rebanne]

Yes happened once with me in the old car. Impossible to happen in the Kia as the window's are so much higher then the dogs heads.

[sheena]

I must go & test the sensor in ours...maybe put a pillow in the window or something. Even it the window stopped at a point, a dog or kids could still do some damage trying to instinctively pull their head in Mine arn't loose either in the back seat. They wear harnesses that are attached to the cargo barrier, but can still put their head out the window if it is down.

[oakway]

I never allow a dog to be loose in the car with the windows down. Your are asking for eye injuries if the dog sticks its head out of the car or should try and jump out. A dog restrained within the car yes, but never one that is loose.

If you read my post you will notice she was clipped into the seat belt, not loose in the car. The issue was she is usually in her harness (which clips on her back) when she leaves the house but due to her healing wounds she was in a martingale collar and this one thing allowed her more range to move and she was standing on the arm rest with her head out of the window after I had stopped the car. Normally with her harness this is not possible. Lesson learnt for me.

I finally spoke to the dealer and the back windows do have sensors and are supposed to reverse the window going up if they encounter enough pressure. So I'm hoping that is what really happened and that whilst her head was out and the window was tight it was stopped at that point and not increasing in pressure. Still, it wont ever be happening again with my dogs!

You asked and I told you what I do. I never referred to what you do. Also my dogs are in crates at all times, yes even the day one went to the vet with a broken leg. :)

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I have manual winding windows in my car... cos I don't think the electric ones will work if I misjudge a creek crossing.

But my old car had little window opening buttons in the arm rests of the doors... and an unrestrained dog (before I knew about dog harnesses and restraining them), stood on the window opening button and opened it. Loved having its nose out the window but we noticed and put it back up without trapping the dog. Put the child proofing on after that.

Never trapped the dog with one. I guess the ones I had were too slow.