A man driving in Santa Ana, Calif., last night lost control of his car when his 100-pound Bullmastiff puppy jumped onto the front seat.
The car overturned and caught fire. Good Samaritans helped pull the unidentified man and Mastis, the 8-month-old dog, out of the car, NBC Los Angeles reports.
Mastis, who at first was reluctant to get out of the car, was uninjured. His dog dad suffered minor head injuries and was taken to a hospital, according to KTLA. A family member took Mastis home.
The man may be cited for having an unrestrained animal in his car. This should serve as a scary reminder to keep your dog restrained when you’re on the road together — and not necessarily with a harness.
“The safest way for your dog to travel in the car is in a crate that has been anchored to the vehicle using a seatbelt or other secure means,” says the Humane Society of the United States.
“Dog restraints or seat belts are useful for preventing your dog from roaming around the car and being a distraction to the driver, but they haven’t been reliably shown to protect dogs during a crash.”
This is shocking but true: With the exception of one product — Sleepypod Clickit Utility — all dog harnesses that were tested by the Center for Pet Safety (CPS) in 2013 were found to be “insufficient in design, materials and overall performance,” according to CPS. “We do not agree with claims of crash protection made by these manufacturers.”
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