I don’t think it’s something I’ll forget anytime soon.
Months ago, while driving down Foothill Boulevard in Rock Springs, a pickup truck with a flat bed was puling out of the K-Mart parking lot, onto Foothill Boulevard. That in and of itself isn’t anything unusual, but the “cargo” on that flat bed is what caught my eye. Two medium-sized dogs were riding along on the flat bed, both struggling to maintain their balance as the truck drove over a dip between Foothill and the parking lot. No railing to keep them in, just a basic flat bed with two dogs nervously standing as the truck made its way down the road.
I remember commenting to my girlfriend about how someone should call the police to report the unsafe situation those dogs were in -- something I’ll freely admit I should have done in the first place. I didn’t. I went home, loaded up Netflix and probably fell into a binge viewing of “The Gilmore Girls.”
Last week, while having lunch with a friend from high school in Rock Springs, I remembered that scene when another person we both knew stopped at our booth and mentioned a city ordinance she wrote and hopes the Rock Springs City Council will adopt. In short, the ordinance would prohibit people from transporting a dog or any other animal in a motor vehicle unless they’re in a cab, enclosed in a pet carrier or tethered to prevent the animal from falling, jumping of being thrown from the vehicle, unless that animal is actively being used for ranching purposes. It would also prohibit people leaving their animals in vehicles without providing them with proper ventilation and sanitary conditions. Finally, it would allow animal control officers who witness infractions to impound the animal if the officer believes the animal’s health and safety are immediately threatened.
I think this is something the Green River City Council should at least look into. An ordinance protecting pets from careless owners should be adopted. Personally, I wouldn’t include language about ranching because within city limits, there isn’t much of anything related to ranching going on. While most pet owners are very responsible for their pets, providing a protection for those animals riding in the back of pickup trucks to help prevent them from meeting an untimely and tragic death is something we should support.
After all, dogs are specifically known as “man’s best friend,” why shouldn’t we return the favor?
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