FLORIDA — We've all seen it: dogs sticking their heads out of car windows. But Florida lawmakers are considering making that illegal.
It is currentlly part of an animal welfare bill making its way through the state senate. Florida Senator Lauren Book announced that she planned to drop the proposal after a vocal public response to the proposal.
"Our family has three dogs—two of which are almost 175 pounds each and love sticking their heads out the window—so I welcome and appreciate all public comment on this issue, which is only one piece of a complete proposed overhaul of the state’s animal welfare system as brought to me by veterinarians and advocates," Book said in a statement.
"We can easily amend this piece out of the bill while protecting the intent of the animal welfare community and vets who proposed the policy because of unintended injuries they’ve treated — and we will. In the meantime, let’s all invest in a good pair of ‘doggles’ to keep our furry friends safe," she continued.
The measure would ban owners from letting dogs put their heads out of the windows of moving vehicles and sit in the laps of the driver.
Experts say the safety of the act is debatable, but if a window is open enough for a dog to stick its head out, they could potentially jump out.
"There are potential hazards that go along with hanging your head out the window, just like your children run the risk of sticks and debris getting in the eyes," said Clay County Humane Society veterinarian Dr. Christian Broadhurst. "Well, dogs do the same thing. If your head can fit out, it is not impossible for dogs to fit the rest of their bodies out as well. We do get a number of dogs every year who fall out of vehicles."
Other aspects of the bill include making it illegal to declaw cats and limiting the time that animals can be tethered outside. The measure would also create a registry of animal abusers.