Leashes can be Deadly in the Car.
 

I just wanted to warn everyone here who takes their dogs for rides to MAKE SURE your dog's leash is fully inside the car before you take off.

Otis had a bad accident because his stupid mom (me) didn't notice the leash was hanging outside of the car. We were all in the car, and when I took off, the leash that was hanging outside got caught on my tire. And Otis, who was inside the car, still connected to the leash by harness, got slammed hard against the inside of my door. He screamed so loud, then I screamed because I couldn't figure out what happened. I jammed on my brakes, and held him and I realized the leash had one frayed end. He was shaking and terrified. When we got out of the car, Otis was limping really bad on three legs, so we rushed him to the emergency vet. I cried the whole way, I felt sooo horrible. They took x-rays of his little body and thank goodness no bones were broken.

We're on day three, and Otis has finally put some weight on his bad leg. Since he had trouble walking, this incident gave me an excuse to buy him that stroller I always wanted.

Thank god he is ok and do not be too hard on yourself it was an accident.
I always take the dogs leashes off when they are in the car... don't know why but I have ALWAYS done it. I am pretty glad now as I never would have thought about this happening.

Oh my gosh...thank goodness Otis is okay! I hope you're feeling better too! Accidents happen and I'm happy for you and Otis that he is fine. That was kind of a freak accident, huh...how often would the tire happen to go over the leash. I can about imagine how scared you must have been! *HUG*

thankyou so much for posting this thread you may save someone else from this danger. thank god otis is okay :) dianne :)

It WAS such a freak accident. I have no idea how it got wrapped around my tire. The other end of the leash is still lying out in the street three houses down the hill from me. I know I should go pick it up, but it gives me the heebie jeebies just going over there.

Dianne is right, your sharing bad experience may just save a yorkie's life.

I'm so sorry to hear you had to go thru this though.....I can imagine it really worried you and the guilt you feel - but accidents happen to all of us, even the most well-intentioned people. Otis will be fine and think of all the fun you'll have with your new stroller! ;)

I'm so glad to hear Otis is okay. Thanks for sharing...I never check if the leash is all the way in the car. I'll start checking now. Thank you.

Thankfully Otis is okay! WOWIE, that sure is scary, great reflexes to immediately stop and see what happened. Accidents can happen, no matter HOW careful we are. Good to hear the Otis-man is walking on that leg now and that nothing is broken. And yes, thanks for sharing this scary story, it may save a Yorkie!!! I am so glad that Otis is okay though, I can't imagine how scary hearing his scream would be.

Maybe you can play Otis some showtunes on your Clavinova... Or whatever music he likes, rap, hip-hop, rock, whatnot... :p

Yoda waves hi! Well, he sorta just farted, but he still sends good thoughts to a full speedy recovery for his buddy Otis. That stroller is cool, where didja get it? Yoda is jealous now, cuz his stroller is a cheapie (ahem, free off the sidewalk type deal ;))...

Farting, in my family, is probably more respectful than waving hi. So Yoda fits right in with us!


The next day after his accident, I stopped by a pet store I had NEVER seen in my neighborhood that has been there for 20 years! I don't know how I missed it. It's called PetVet, and they sell all sorts of goodies there. I stopped there to pick up some HeartGard because I realized Otis was due his monthly dose soon. I saw the stroller out of the corner of my eye, and realized it was the same one I was drooling over for a year. Since Otis couldn't walk very well, I snatched that thing up and bought it on the spot. The funny thing is, I couldn't even fit it in the trunk of my car! I had to maneuver it into the front passenger's seat (two seater).

Otis likes riding in it, and if Yoda is already used to being in a stroller, I'm sure he'll like this one, too. (hint, hint)

you can get it here:
http://www.metropawlispetboutique.com/strollers.html

Diane~

Wow! How scary for you! I never thought about the leash in the car, but I sure will be more careful after your incident. I have that same stroller and I just love it. It is one of the best dog items I have ever bought. That is also the best price I have seen it for. I paid $139 and I have seen it as high as $169! :thumbup:

I've got to say, that's the blingingest (if that's not a word sue me!) stroller I've seen and someone posted quite a few stroller pictures to me the other day. Heck, it looks loads better than than the $200 one right next to it. Otis's Mommy sure has style! ;) Does the top of the stroller come down more than in the picture you posted? Or, if Otis likes it a lot, I'm sure Mr. Yoda would too, so Otis, do you give it Two Paws up? :p

Oh yes, and for those with two Yorkies, would both fit in that stroller?

So glad that your baby is ok and thanks for sharing this with us all. :)

Okay okay okay, FastEddie...stop beating around the bush! If you want a review, Otis and I will post a review in the products review section!!

I would have never thought of that in a million years, so thanks for posting the warning. The leash is coming off in the car all the time.

:eek: Junebug!! I am mortified to think that a freak thing like that could happen to such a good Mom as you! I am thankful that Otis is OK and nothing was broken [except Mom's heart!]! I have been accused of being over-protective of Toto so much that I have been giving a little more latitude where the grandchildren are concerned ... they still can't pick her up but I do let them play with her a little more. I will shift back into "over-protective" now!! :) No matter how we try, there are still so many things lurking out there that we just never think about!! Again, I am so glad that Otis is OK! ;)

We're so glad to hear Otis is feeling better and hope he enjoys his stroller rides as much as our little girls enjoy riding in theirs.

We have two 5 lb yorkie sisters and they always ride in our car in a real babies carseat, namely my grandaughters old seat recycled for them. I use the harness attached to the carseat to attach to their harness by a short strap. The carseat is attached to the back seat with the regular car seat belt so its secure. We can monitor them thru the mirror in the car visor to make sure they are ok riding. They fall asleep fast sometimes. They don't mind riding that way at all and are very good about staying there and just being content looking around. Our girls rid in an Instep Jogging Stroller in the same way, with their harness attached to the harness thats built into the stroller so they can't possibly jump out, its secured.

I've been looking lately at the Happy Trails (blue one ) and are going to take them to the store to try it out to see if they fit. Its great to keep out bugs with the front and rear netting ! By the way, they both enjoy their blue lense Doggles also and don't mind wearing them. (Sunglasses for dogs)

I highly recommend that all animals be restrained while riding in the car. To have a baby running loose in a car could be disasterous if stopped short or in an accident. Treat them like your precious children would be treated and please keep them safe while riding. For those that don't have a carseat, a soft sided carrier could be attached to the seatbelt also. Please keep them safe and secure and out of your lap while driving.

oh i'm so glad that little otis is ok!!! how scary that must have been for you!!! thanks for sharing that, no more leash in the car for my 2!!! don't blame yourself it was just an accident. i'm sure otis loves his new stroller, it sure looks like he does!! thank you for sharing that!!!!

OMG! I'd never thought a leash could be that dangerous. Thanks for the warning. By the way, I love Ortis's stroller - he looks soooo sweet in it! It really suits him, I think!

Thanks for the heads up........I never thought of that, however, when my husband drives the truck, I always worry about the tie downs flying out and wraping around a tire. I thought I was just worry wart, but obviously, it IS a potential danger.

So glad that nothing more serious happened. Thank God that he's allright, and could go right on riding in that nice stroller. Your going to have to watch him, he might just go on and pretend that he has a hard time walking just so he can be pushed around :D Wouldn't you :rolleyes: ...

Oh my goodness, poor Otis. I hope he gets to feeling better. I had never thoughtof this, but I will be sure to let everyone I know who own a dog to keep this in mind. Baby sends puppy kisses to Otis!

Oh my! That was scary! I'm glad he is okay.

p.s. I like his new stroller

Oh wow - I'm SO GLAD he's ok !! I also did something similar a few years ago - nothing happened ....but it COULD have - and by you sharing your experience - others will be aware of this - Don't beat yourself up over this - Your baby is ok and sometimes the everyday things we do come back and bite us in the butt...but THIS is how we learn and LUCKY for you it worked out that he's not seriously injured - How scary for you and I can really relate as when I did it - I had no clue either that this could happen.

I really hope little Otis gets better fast and big hugs to both of you...Big sigh of relief too - I know you are holding him really close but he sounds like he'll be fine...don't know about you though...we really take things like this hard and I think are harder on ourselves....Hang in there mom - He's a strong boy.

hey.. u cant check on ebay for the strollers...i checked it out and i found a few not that expensive either...just go to ebay.com and type in dog stroller check it out.... :thumbup:

OMG poor little Otis! I'm SO glad he wasn't severely hurt! Please give me lots of kisses from me, Codie and Katie! And thanks for posting - it's something important to be aware of!

I'm so glad Otis is Ok. There will never be leashes in the car for me anymore.

Thanks for sharing. I will pass this on to my friends with dogs.

Is that a doggy stroller or a kids stroller? If it is a doogy stroller it's one of the most stylish strollers I've seen yet! Either way - it's pretty cool!

Poor Otis!! I'm glad he's feeling okay! Tuffy had something similar happen in the car.. he was in his carrier with his harness attached inside and he kept trying to get out of the carrier and somehow ended up getting the harness attachment wrapped around his leg, the more he struggled the tighter it got until he started just screaming in the car. I immediately pulled over and it took me a little bit to get him untied. That was pretty scary. :(