By: Georgia Lobb
Today marks the first beautiful, sunny, and warm day of the year. Finally we seem to be over the hump of the long winter and on our way to summer weather.
While I was walking my dog on the road today, enjoying the nice weather, I wondered how many dogs are killed each year in traffic accidents. We know that vulnerable users are at serious risk while sharing the road with automobiles, but how about our pets?
Dogs and cars can be a dangerous mix.
According to a 2012 Market Press Release, studies show that approximately 100,000 dogs die from car accidents each year, and that number is increasing.
“A great number of dogs die because they dived for a luring object from the car window or from the bed of a truck,” says MarketPressRelease.com. “Another percentage met their death as they jumped out of the car from an unsecured car door.”
It’s unknown how many dogs are hit by cars each year.
The increase in dog deaths is attributed to the simple fact that more and more people are becoming dog owners. And many new dog owners don’t know how to safely handle their dogs in their cars — for instance, they don’t roll the windows up, to make sure they can’t escape the vehicle.
As the weather gets nicer out, make sure your pooch is safely locked inside your car. And if you see a dog walker on the roadside, make sure to leave plenty of space between your car and the dog.