Maker of Dog Seat Belts Wants to Ban Driving With an Unbuckled Pooch

"The days of people taking their dogs to the vet once a year are gone," she said. "There's a need for laws to catch up with trends into daily and weekly travel."

Burke travels often with his dog from Chicago to Springfield — but his 120-pound giant schnauzer is restrained in the back seat.

"He would certainly prefer to be in the front seat, but that’s not happening," Burke said.

Although she'd like to see a bill that requires dogs to be fully restrained like Burke's, not just prohibited from riding in a driver's lap, Ramirez knows changing the trend will take "baby steps."

"It is the most dangerous when a dog is on your lap," she said.

Well that just sounds wonderful.  She's just advocating for safety, and as she said, the laws need to "catch up with trends."  It's not like she has a financial interest in getting this legislation passed.

After what happened to Max, Ramirez set out to make dog car safety as basic as leash-walking and potty-training.

So she started a business that sells dog sea belts at mydoggieseatbelt.com, starting at about $20.

Strapping in Fido might be a great idea, but legislating a market into existence is the definition of cronyism.

via Driving With Your Dog? Bill Would Prohibit Pets Behind the Wheel - DNAinfo.com Chicago.