Does anyone have a plan for I they get pulled over by a cop with a human reactive dog in the car?

[zander88]

@ahealingpen Try a harness and a retractable leash. I use the leash’s holder to put the seatbelt through and lock the leash in place so the can’t move. Works wonders for travel. Like 30 min drives to the vet each time and walking them in.

 

[gadrogeek]

@ahealingpen Are they muzzle trained? I use my dogs muzzle for everyone's protection and associate it with things he loves, like hikes and car rides so he doesn't mind it.

 

[blessings777]

@ahealingpen I have a 60lb people reactive dog and also drive a small car, and my father is a retired cop. I have thought about this frequently

When my dog is in the car, she is in a harness and buckled in, both for crash safety but also managing her when it’s time to take her out of the car (lease goes on first, buckle unclipped after) so she can’t bolt out the door. Since she is restrained, my fear is not her jumping out the window or something and biting the cop. My concern is her being agitated and stressed and barking or growling, and that agitating a cop who might not be so understanding.

My plan is similar to yours, but I’ve always been told to keep my hands in the wheel. So I’d keep my hands in the wheel, and crack the window and explain the situation, and ask if it’s ok for me to get out of the car or if they’d prefer I stay in and we just have to be patient and talk over the dog

 

[kanbei85]

@blessings777 Yea this is what happened to me when I got pulled over last year. The cop was super cool and asked if it was easier for my dog if I got out to talk to him or just stay in and talk over/between the barking. I just got out. My dogs not angry reactive, he just wants to meet people so bad that a switch flips in his brain and he goes berserk if he can’t get to them

 

[ahealingpen]

@blessings777 Thanks so much. I restrain my dogs as well, but I always worry that one of them will redirect or make a lunge and get me or another dog on accident, or I'll encounter a shoot first ask questions later kind of cop. Fortunately neither of these two are large (sheltie mix and a cattle dog, the sheltie has at least four bites to his name and I'm literally the only person other than his dad that can safely handle him), but I do regularly transport dogs ranging from to chihuahuas to an Irish Wolfhound, so kennels really aren't an option and the risk of redirection scares me. I'll keep the advice in mind and in the unlikely event I'll keep my hands on the wheel!

 

[bbuqa24]

@ahealingpen not sure how large these reactive dogs are, but it sounds like it'd be worth investing in kennels that could at least hold them. since they're already going berserk trying to get to people they see through the car windows to maul them, sounds like (for your safety too) a kennel is necessary. OR that the owners can drop them off at your place of business, since they're so aggressive that even transportation is fraught. That shouldn't be your responsibility or liability.

do the owners not have kennels that they could hand off the dogs in either?