Gold Coast driver tethers his dog to the back of his ute on the busy Pacific Highway leaving Aussies divided
- Photo of dog tied to the back of a ute divides the public
- While not illegal, many say the practice is immoral.
A driver has divided Australians after tying his dog to the back of his ute on a busy highway.
The driver had been traveling on the Pacific Highway near the Gold Coast, Queensland, over the weekend.
A passenger in another car took a photo and shared it on Reddit Sunday with the image showing a dog tied to the back of the ute.
“Things like this need to stop,” the caption read.
Social media users were divided, with some criticizing it as “dangerous” while others claimed it was perfectly legal.
An image of a dog tied to the back of a ute as it travels along the Pacific Highway (pictured) near the Gold Coast has stirred public opinion about the practice.
Keeping a dog in the back of a ute is legal in Queensland, only if it is tethered to the center of the cabin and there is no chance of it falling over the sides of the tray.
This means that the dog’s leash should be long enough for him to move his head, but not too long that he could endanger himself.
The RSPCA said tethering is one of the least favorite ways to travel with a dog, as it is the “least secure”.
“There should be enough slack in the chain that you can at least turn your head or sit up… but not so much slack that you jump over the edge and become entangled or hung up,” said RSPCA Queensland Inspector Kyle Patrech. yahoo.
The RSPCA prefers that dogs have a dedicated crate that can be attached to the rear of the utility vehicle or on a leash inside the utility vehicle’s cabin.
The post quickly garnered the attention of other users, whose opinions were immediately split between supporting or opposing driving with a dog in the tray.
‘Can’t they just let their dog ride shotgun like a normal Aussie?’ wrote one.
“Just because something is legal doesn’t mean it’s okay, lots of things used to be legal and are now illegal,” a second user wrote.
“Drunk driving wasn’t always illegal…driving around a farm with your dog in the tray is one thing, on the M1 going 110 is another pot of fish and should be avoided.”
One sat on the fence of the argument and said: ‘I object to this when the driver drives like an idiot with the dog clinging on for dear life.
“But if the dog is tethered to the center and the driver is driving normally and responsibly, I don’t think it’s a problem.”
While not illegal, the Queensland government states that a dog must be secured in the middle of the cabin and has no chance of falling off the sides (file image)
Many argued that their dogs loved being in the back of the truck and often refused to jump into the cab.
‘I grew up on a farm with more than 6 dogs at a time. They love being in the back of the ute, and he is well attached,” wrote one.
“The dog appears to be on a leash (not collared) in such a way that it is tied to the vehicle without the length of the leash being sufficient for the dog to fall from said vehicle,” added another.
‘It could just be a tradition on your way home from a hard day at work with no room inside the van for your little friend. Hang up your phone while you drive,” wrote a third user.
‘I work as a cattle manager, one of my kelpies almost refuses to get on the ute, he absolutely foams at being in the back of the ute…he loves being able to see everything from behind!’ A fourth wrote.
“Some of these people commenting would keep their dogs in a backyard smaller than a bedroom and be out for 8+ hours thinking they let their dog live a better life this way because they walk him around the block every day”.
