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Article Archive > Tails of the open road: Consider these pet safety rules Tails of the open road: Consider these pet safety rules A day trip to the Shore or longer stay offer pets as well as people a chance for fun. But if simple rules for pets' safety aren't followed, vacationing pets can be lost or hurt, and pet owners can face fines and jail time. The first rule: Be sure pets are healthy enough to travel, says Dr. Peter M. Falk of Ocean County Veterinary Hospital, Lakewood, and Fischer Veterinary Hospital, Toms River. Pets should be current on vaccinations, protected against fleas and ticks, have a health exam and be comfortable around crowds or loud noises, such as fireworks. Next: "Planning, planning, planning," he says. "Take short trips in the car before a longer trip to get them accustomed to traveling. Some pets don't travel well. An unhappy pet is an unhappy owner," he says. Put identification on pets. "Multiple forms of ID are preferable," Falk says. "One is a microchip. It's a transformer about the size of a grain of rice implanted under the skin, usually between the shoulders. Each is unique with a specific number." Most veterinarians and shelter and animal control officials have scanners to read the numbers, which are listed with a registration service that is called, he says. Microchips cost $35 to $50, and most have free number registration, he says. "A cat should have a breakaway collar with a tag. Some cats can climb trees. If a branch is caught on the collar, they can strangle," Falk says. "A dog should have a collar or harness with an ID tag on it." Bring photographs to show police and shelters and to post online if pets get lost and medical records in case care is needed, he says. Pack water and the pet's food and dishes, he adds. Bring a pet first-aid kit with gauze pads, a roll of gauze, chemical cold packs to cool down pets, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide and heavy gloves so if a pet is hurt, the owner doesn't get hurt, Falk says. Practice safety on the road: Keep cats in carriers, dogs in carriers or secured with a dog seatbelt or harness made for vehicles, and don't allow small dogs on driver's laps, he says. This helps prevent injury during sudden stops and pets from jumping out open windows or interfering with drivers. Never allow dogs to ride in a pickup truck's open back, says Victor "Buddy" Amato, chief of police for the nonprofit Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, based in Eatontown. "It's illegal," Amato says. "God forbid a guy makes a sharp turn, the dog is airborne. Dogs have been killed this way. The only way it's proper is if the dog's in a transportation kennel that's secured so it doesn't bounce all over the truck. "We can issue tickets for this. The fine is up to $1,000, confiscation of the dog and no ownership of an animal for five years," he adds. Don't let dogs hang their heads out of a window. "I wouldn't ticket anyone if I see this, but I may pull them over and give them a warning and educate them," Amato says. "If you slam on your brakes suddenly or make a sharp turn, you can injure a dog's vertebrae as you would a person's." Also, material can get into dogs' eyes, dogs can jump out windows and break bones, and anything too near a vehicle, such as a branch, can hurt dogs, Falk says. Stop every hour and a half to two hours to walk dogs and offer them water, Falk says. "Even if a dog appears comfortable, do this," Falk says. "For cats, it depends on the car. Sometimes, people driving an SUV will bring a litter box in the back. Owners have to be careful the doors are locked when letting a cat out inside the vehicle to use it." Take special care in hot weather. Outdoors, keep pets in the shade with plenty of water, and use sunscreen on light-skinned dogs, Falk says. While driving, keep air conditioning on, he adds. "Never, never, ever leave your pet in a car," Falk warns. "In five to 15 minutes, with temperatures in the 60s or 70s, a car heats up inside, even with the windows opened a little." Pet owners face fines of up to $1,000 if they leave pets unattended in a vehicle and can go to jail for up to six months, especially if the animal dies, Amato says. "A lot of people coming to the Shore stop to have lunch, and they leave an animal in the car," Amato says. "That can become a very expensive lunch because once you turn a car off, it takes only 15 minutes for that car to reach temperatures, if it's 85 to 90 degrees out, of well over 95 degrees. The car ends up as a greenhouse. "A lot of people leave the car running with the air conditioner on. What happens if the car stalls? You're not supposed to leave your car running anyway," he says, adding leaving water for a pet doesn't work either. "If it's 90 degrees outside, in less than 20 minutes that water is hot and won't hydrate the animal," he says. The bottom line? "People love their pets and want to bring them with them, but it's often wiser to leave them cared for in an air-conditioned house," Amato says.
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