Unrestrained dogs can’t ride in some truck beds

(Update: Correcting that only dogs riding in flatbed pickups violate Oregon law)

In Central Oregon, dog safety is a top priority for dog owners, especially when traveling with your pets.

The Humane Society of the United States estimated at least 100,000 dogs die each year from riding in pickup truck beds.

Many dogs ride unrestrained in the back of flatbed pickups, which can cause them to be fatally strangled or suffer from high-impact fractures in certain areas like a joint, which can be permanently disabling.

Oregon’s law prohibits carrying a dog on an external part of a vehicle unless the dog is protected by framework, carrier or another device to keep the dog from falling out. So regular pickup trucks don’t go astray from the state law, due to tie truck bed’s side walls, but flatbed pickups do.

” You have to care for your dog, ” Ed King, who witnessed an unrestrained dog, said Monday. ” I know they want the dog to have a little fun, but the end doesn’t justify the means, so to speak, regarding what could happen. ”

Those cited for leaving an unrestrained animal in the flatbed truck bed or otherwise violating the law are charged with a Class D traffic violation, punishable by a $90 fine (under ORS153.018(2)(d)).

Some states have made it illegal for dogs to ride unrestrained in the back of pickup trucks, according to the Michigan State University Animal Legal and Historical Center. But most states only have laws about transporting dogs on public roads in the back of an open-bed vehicle.

Bend police Lt. Juli McConkey said educating the public on dog safety is important.

” If they are in contact with a police officer, it is a reason for a traffic stop or a contact to explain what the law is, ” she said. ” A lot of times, if the dog is untethered, then it could be a danger to come out of the vehicle, it can injure itself or other people as they try to avoid the pet. ”