'It’s not OK': SPCA emphasizes it's illegal to drive around with your dog leashed to back of flatbed truck

Photo: Video still: Lauren Blanchett

The sight of this dog, tied on the back of a moving flatbed truck and travelling on Highway 97 last week, prompted a complaint to the RCMP.

The BC SPCA says they are shocked after seeing video of a flatbed truck travelling last week on Highway 97 with a dog leashed to its back.

“I can’t imagine the psychological distress this animal would suffer from being exposed to all these other vehicles travelling at high speed and of course, exhaust fumes,” said Eileen Drever, senior officer of protection and stakeholder relations at the SPCA.

A second spokesperson for the SPCA, emphasized that it is “against the law to transport a dog in this manner.”

A person claiming to be the driver of the vehicle reached out to Castanet anonymously with an explanation for why the dog was being moved the way it was.

The owner said while out in the woods the dog “rolled in horse manure and urine" and that, "there was no way to transport her home inside the vehicle with an unbearable stench and hygiene issue.”

Section 72 of the Motor Vehicle Act states a person commits an offence “if the person transports a living animal on the running board, fender, hood or other exterior part of a motor vehicle unless a suitable cage, carrier or guard rail is provided and is attached adequately to protect that animal from falling or being thrown from the vehicle.”

The flatbed truck the dog was seen on was not equipped with a guard rail, nor was the dog secured in a cage or suitable carrier.

In regards to using a carrier, the driver said their dog would “destroy” a plastic dog carrier “in minutes if ever given that chance.”

"At worst, I would receive a minor violation ticket which would be in dispute," said the driver, who demanded an apology, citing the "many comments made about the article" on social media that claimed there is no problem with transporting a dog in that way.

The dog owner said that they spoke with an SPCA constable, who approved the method of transportation, but Castanet has been unable to get in touch with that member of the SPCA.

Drever, meanwhile, reiterated that it is not OK to transport a dog this way.

“Just looking at that dog, and the body language, it’s pretty sad looking as far as I’m concerned,” she said, adding that if an animal were transported that way and ended up suffering by way of a motor vehicle accident or managed to get loose, she said she would recommend charges to prosecutors.

"I would pursue that,” said Drever. “It’s not OK, it’s certainly not OK."

Another was also spotted being transported the same way by a different vehicle on Sunday.