By Abbie Tamber

Driving down the highway with the window ajar enough for a dog to poke his head out, nose taking in all the scents and ears blowing in the wind ... sounds like a dog’s dream. “My dog loves sticking his head out the window!” There really could not be a problem with this! Think again.

While I have heard only of one incident of a dog being injured when the window was partially closed on his throat, I am surprised more accidents of this type don’t happen. Automatic window buttons usually close a window by pulling up so a dog can’t step on them, but some older model cars might have buttons that push down to close. The more likely cause of a dog getting his neck caught in a window would be a child inside of the car playing with the window buttons. A sudden change in the car’s path like swerving to avoid a deer or a big bump in the road may cause a dog to lose his balance and “fall” on the window. Heaven forbid if the window was open wide enough for the dog to fall out!