Bill Aims at Securing Dogs Riding in Open Pickup Trucks

Dogs riding in the back of pickup trucks would have to be tethered or caged under a bill approved Monday by the state Assembly.

By a vote of 45 to 21, the lower house sent the measure by Assemblyman Jack O’Connell (D-Carpinteria) to the Senate.

The bill would prohibit drivers from transporting animals in the open bed of a pickup unless the space is enclosed, the sides are at least 46 inches high, the animal is cross-tethered to the truck or the animal is in a cage or other secured container.

Livestock and working dogs used by ranchers or farmers would be exempt from the bill.

Violation of the law would bring a maximum fine of $50 to $100 for a first offense, $75 to $200 for a second offense and $100 to $250 for a third.

O’Connell says his bill should be approved for safety, humaneness and public policy reasons. Dogs jumping or falling out of trucks can cause other drivers to swerve and have accidents. Up to 100,000 dogs a year are killed nationwide because they jump or fall from pickup beds, he said.

He said a state law would be better than the uneven effects of 14 counties and more than 100 cities having similar restrictions.