Santa Fe Rethinks Doggie Seat Belt Law
SANTA FE, N.M. - The city of Santa Fe is rethinking a proposed rewrite of its animal control ordinance that would have required dogs to wear seat belts in cars.
The city's public safety committee voted Monday to strike a section of the proposal that said any animal confined in or on a vehicle shall be restrained to prevent it from reaching outside the vehicle.
Santa Fe city councilors said they were flooded by complaints about the proposed "doggie seat belts" from residents as well as people in other cities.
Sponsors of the proposal said they never intended to require restraint devices on dogs in cars only in the backs of pickups.
Michael Trujillo, vice chairman of the committee, said the section on restraining dogs inside cars was deleted not only to eliminate the possibility of seat belts on dogs, but because some people want their dogs to be able to hang their heads out of car windows.
Trujillo said the proposal had been intended to keep dogs in parked cars from lunging at people walking nearby.
SANTA FE, N.M. - The city of Santa Fe is rethinking a proposed rewrite of its animal control ordinance that would have required dogs to wear seat belts in cars.
The city's public safety committee voted Monday to strike a section of the proposal that said any animal confined in or on a vehicle shall be restrained to prevent it from reaching outside the vehicle.
Santa Fe city councilors said they were flooded by complaints about the proposed "doggie seat belts" from residents as well as people in other cities.
Sponsors of the proposal said they never intended to require restraint devices on dogs in cars only in the backs of pickups.
Michael Trujillo, vice chairman of the committee, said the section on restraining dogs inside cars was deleted not only to eliminate the possibility of seat belts on dogs, but because some people want their dogs to be able to hang their heads out of car windows.
Trujillo said the proposal had been intended to keep dogs in parked cars from lunging at people walking nearby.