Keep your animals safe for trip season

By Blair Qualey

As heat takes hold, a lot of us will have the desire to take a journey to our location of option – and for lots of, the temptation is to take your four-legged friend along for the flight. Our buddies at ICBC, with the help of the BC SPCA, prepared some guidelines and safety measures on their newsroom page a couple of years ago prompting drivers to be wise with their animals – and the subject stays simply as appropriate today.

Above all else, drivers are motivated to utilize good sense, drive wise and think about the safety of your animals, if bringing them along for the flight. Key suggestions consist of the following:

• never ever leave any animals in a heated car. Every summer season there are heartbreaking stories of animals left ignored in stuffy, overheated automobiles with the windows rolled up. When you take your animal to the beach and wish to pick up coffee or lunch along the method, make sure to take it with you even if it’s “just for a minute.” Even with the windows broke, temperature levels in a hot car can increase in simply a couple of minutes – the exact same quantity of time it would consider you to connect your animal’s leash up outdoors in a dubious location.
• Always utilize some form of safety restraint whenever taking a trip with a family pet. Having your animal appropriately limited can avoid them from getting away, flying forward in your vehicle, or being hurt in a crash.
• If you’re utilizing a cage, secure it with a seat belt, freight hooks, or by putting it by the rear seat. If unsecured, the cage can bounce around and even end up being a projectile. When you’re purchasing a cage for your dog, search for one that has actually been crash-tested.
• As all of us understand, dogs like hanging their go out the window and while it’s appealing to let them do it, it leaves them open the capacity for corneal ulcers from flying particles – such as dust or sand.
• ICBC dissuades kids younger than 12 from being in the front seat of vehicle, and the exact same safety dangers of a released air bag can have terrible repercussions for animals too. To keep your furry family member safe, they should never sit in the front seat, but be secured in the back seat or cargo area of an SUV or van.
• While your pup may be super entertaining, refrain from allowing your pet to sit on your lap, from reaching into the back seat to interact with them; and from feeding, playing or taking a photo of them while you’re driving.
• The exact same care uses if your fellow traveler is a cat, as they can crawl around your feet, and possibly hinder gas or brake pedals. The BC SPCA suggests “airline type” (not cardboard) cat travel providers and likewise recommends making the effort to help your cat learn to like their provider prior to your very first journey by providing treats, food, and a familiar blanket inside and slowly motivating them to hang out in the provider.

And lastly, treat your four-legged buddies like they belong to the family, by bringing food, water, meals, bed linen and toys. If you’re taking a long journey, prepare for a rest stop every couple of hours – it’s good for drivers and animals alike to extend and get fresh air.

Have a safe and enjoyable trip this summer season with your furry fellow traveler.

Blair Qualey is President and CEO of the New Car Dealers Association of BC. You can email him at [email protected]

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