A Gold Coast driver tied a dog to the back of his ute on the busy Pacific Motorway has left Australia divided
Public sharing of photos of dogs tied to the back of a ute is not illegal, but many say the practice is unethical
A driver has divided Australians by tethering his dog to the back of his ute on a busy motorway.
The driver was traveling along the Pacific Motorway near Queensland’s Gold Coast at the weekend.
A passenger in the other car took a photo and shared it on Reddit on Sunday, along with a photo showing a dog tied to the back of the ute.
The caption reads, ‘Such things need to be stopped.
Social media users were divided, with some slamming it as ‘dangerous’ while others claimed it was perfectly legal.
An image of a dog strapped to the back while traveling along the Pacific Highway near the Gold Coast (pictured) has sparked public opinion on the practice.
In Queensland it is legal to carry a dog behind a dog, only if they are attached in the middle of the cabin and not likely to fall off the side of the tray.
This means the dog’s leash needs to be long enough to move its head but not so long that it puts itself in danger.
The RSPCA said tethering is one of their least favorite ways to travel with dogs because it is the ‘least safe’.
‘There needs to be enough slack in the chain that it can at least turn its head or sit down … but not so loose that it jumps over the edge and gets stuck or hangs itself,’ RSPCA Queensland inspector Kyle Patrech told Yahoo!
The RSPCA prefers dogs to have a dedicated cage that can be attached to the back of the ute or attached to a leash inside the ute’s cabin.
The post quickly attracted attention from other users, whose opinions were immediately divided on whether they supported or opposed driving with dogs in trays.
‘Can’t they let their dogs shoot shotgun like a normal Australian,’ wrote one.
A second user wrote, ‘Just because something is legal doesn’t mean it’s right, many things were legal before and are now illegal.’
‘Drunk driving wasn’t always illegal… driving around a farm with your dog on a tray is one thing, going 110 on the M1 is another kettle of fish and should be avoided.’
One debater said: ‘I object to drivers driving like idiots with dogs hanging on for dear life.
‘But if the dog is tied in the center and the driver drives normally and responsibly, I don’t think it’s a problem.’
Although not illegal, the Queensland government says a hatch must be secured in the middle of the cabin and not likely to fall off the side (stock image)
Many argued that their dogs preferred being in the back of the ute and often refused to jump into the cabin.
‘I grew up on a farm with 6+ dogs at any given time. They like to stay behind the ute and are used safely,’ wrote one.
‘Tethering the dog (not the collar) shows that it is tethered to the car without the length of the tether being long enough for the dog to fall out of the car,’ added another.
‘It could be a tradie on the way home from a hard day with no room inside the ute for their little friend. Turn your phone off when you drive,’ wrote a third user.
‘I work as a livestock manager, one of my kelpie camels almost refuses to enter, gets stuck in the back… he likes to see everything from the back!’ A fourth one wrote.
‘Some of these people comment that their dogs will live in a backyard that’s smaller than a bedroom and 8+ hours away thinking that they’ll let their dog live a better life this way because they take them for walks around the block every day.’