Full confession: When I first saw the post about Sen. Lauren Book’s bill to make it a crime to allow a dog to hang their heads out of car windows, I did more than my fair share of eye rolling.
My first thought was a simple, “Really? With all that is going on, the chief Senate Democrat wants to make it a crime to let Fido enjoy a ride to the beach?”
But upon further reflection, as they say, I am reconsidering my first reaction and ask the readers of this post to do likewise, for a few reasons.
First, it turns out that canine injuries are quite common for those pups.
“People are going to poke fun no matter what,” wrote animal activist Renee Rivard in an email to Senators. “I have heard all kinds of stories of dogs jumping out of car windows. I personally saw that happen a month ago at a park I was at — a dog hanging his head out the window jumped out the window and charged two dogs on leashes in the park.”
That shows this isn’t just a matter of animal endangerment, but also road safety.
“Start asking people if they have ever seen dogs jump out of car windows,” Rivard suggested to lawmakers. “You will hear lots of stories like I did.”
The roads also do put the animals at risk, with debris frequently hurting dogs as they lap up 40 and 50 mph winds.
Honestly, most people, if they think about it, will realize letting dogs do this is a bad idea, Norman Rockwell paintings aside.
As the suggestion for the bill was brought forth by a consortium of veterinarians, I have to defer to their expertise and presume they know what they are talking about.
I say this even as Book herself has vowed to remove that provision from the bill.
Second, Book’s bill is much broader than the tweets suggest. It is a comprehensive look at a variety of veterinarian-inspired changes to Florida law which currently allows several cruel actions by pet owners, from declawing of cats to putting dogs on the roof (Mitt Romney style, I presume) and other such acts. It allows for registering animal abusers, who often go on to commit other, more heinous crimes.
Third, yes, she is the Senate Democratic Leader, and yes, she is a serious person who tackles serious issues. We should all take note that this (soon-to-be-removed) provision of an overall serious piece of legislation is but one of the issues the Leader is taking on this Session. Issues like paid family leave, death with dignity and more are top priorities for Book — and for many in the state.
After the chuckling about dogs enjoying an olfactory rush, it’s time we step off the critical ledge and give the Senator her due. And, in the meantime, as she has suggested, maybe we all invest in a good pair of “doggles.”
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