Have you ever met anyone---anyone---who strapped their Dog on top of their car roof.

[trumad]

That to me is the most compelling of all of this.

Where did they get the idea? From friends who did it?

I doubt that seriously---because even their most snooty country club friends love their dogs.

I can't even imagine the conversation that led to them doing it.

DAD!... we have no room in the car for the luggage and the Dog cage.

Well Tagg, strap the luggage to the roof.

Mom told me I better not put her Louis Vuitton case on the roof.

Well then---strap the Dog Cage to the roof!

Well what about Seamus Dad?

He goes in the cage too!

[snacker]

1. No

and I have never seen anyone do that either. I live in a rural area and have seen a lot of weird things, but I have NEVER seen anyone strap a dog crate to the top of his car.

[trumad]

2. Me neither..

And I've driven a boatload of miles.

[RebelOne]

3. Well, sort of.

When I adopted my Rottweiler from a friend in Florida, she brought her up to Georgia in a crate in the back of a pickup truck. My friend was driving a double cab pickup, but there were three other people traveling with her. So the Rottie traveled in a huge crate with lots of blankets because it was late winter here in Georgia. The dog survived just fine. I got her when she was 2-1/2 years old and she lived with me until she was almost 13 when cancer got her in 2010.

[trumad]

6. That's fine--- you have a wind break from the cab.

[ctaylors6]

21. I thought the original

news story said he'd built a wind-shield for the dog crate. I have been very confused (and feeling like something's wrong with me) because to me it didn't seem that different that dog crates in pickups, which I've seen often (esp hunting situations). In fact, I'm always worried when I see dogs in pickups without being in a crate at all. I see that a lot. Along with people in backs of pickups. Thank goodness I don't see kids in backs of up pickups much anymore.

[riderinthestorm]

26. 10 - 12 hours in a crate is a lot different than riding in the back of a truck for a short while

I too have seen the dogs in crates in the back of a pick up but that's usually for a short journey (less than an hour).

This sounds wayyyy different and for a lot longer time.

Regardless, Seamus' gastric distress sounds as though this wasn't "fun" at all.

[dballance]

8. Riding in a truck bed is far from being strapped to the roof like so much Samsonite

Heck I grew up on a farm. We kids rode in the truck bed all the time. Not hours on a trip of course but 10s of miles to town.

But, of course, our dad would never have strapped us to the roof.

[mac56]

17. Not on a freeway either.

We rode in the truck bed too.

[WingDinger]

4. People do stupid things. That aint it.

They dont trot it out as proof of how no drama your problem solving capabilities are. They dont justify it by saying he LOVED it. They dont then have the wife say he loved it too. And they dont have the wife make a turkey grab excuse for the dogs anxiety, form the experience. They should be asked if they did it again, as the dog loved it so much. Then, they should be asked whether they are aware that there are cargo carriers, that do a fine job of clearing out enough baggage, so the poor dog can ride in the car. I will BET, that Mitt, priss that he is, said he refused to allow the smelly animal to stink up the car the whole way.

[Jumping John]

5. No but I don't hang out with any 1%ers, You know. nt

[Kadie]

7. No.

We never even joked about. Joked about putting each other on the roof of the car, but never the dog.

[leveymg]

9. In the 1930s, people strapped all sorts of things on their running boards.

Maybe, this was the inspiration? 1936 Modern Mechanix dog carrier (supply your own grommets and clamps).

?w=510

[leveymg]

10. Then, for the adrenaline-crazed animal in us all, there's "car-surfing."

Have to admit to some body boarding style car-surfing as a teen in the 1970s. Surfing on the roof at 90 mph is a rush, but I think it might scare poor Rufus. Not recommended for non-intoxicated nonhumans.

Body board style:



And, full radical hang ten - this is way too crazy, even for me:

[Beaverhausen]

11. no

[immoderate]

12. I am wondering out loud here...

First, to answer the question, no, and I don't know anyone who's done it.

Having said that, I'm wondering out loud, -- if the kennel is roomy and comfortable and padded, and shielded from the wind, why wouldn't the dog prefer it to the cockpit, with seven people, and their luggage?

I mean, if it's OK to transport a dog in a kennel, who cares if it's in a wagon, or a truck bed, or lashed to a roof rack?

I don't want Mitt to be president. IMO, he's more out of touch than GW Bush. But I'm just not sure that putting the kennel on the roof is a worse idea than a kennel anywhere else. I think it's the long hours, that got to the dog, and maybe something he ate. I also think a man of Mitt's means could have gotten a more appropriate vehicle.

--imm

[trumad]

13. Well I can pretty much bet you it was a regualr dog cage----

[immoderate]

16. I couldn't find anything much better...

I looked at a few "dog carriers," and saw nothing that offered wind protection. Pretty sure that Romney had nothing special.

--imm

[polly7]

14. I'll never forget the time a car loaded up on top rear-ended the car ahead of him.

One bike bounced a couple of times and nearly came through our windshield, the other was hit by an oncoming car. Even if the kennel was protected from the weather and Seamus did enjoy it ... the first thing that came to my mind was an accident.

[mac56]

19. There is a world of difference between putting a kennel in a wagon or truck bed

rather than lashed to the top of the vehicle driving at freeway speeds.

And anyway, the clincher is that the dog got sick. Whether it was because he was terrified (I believe) or ate some "bad turkey" (yeah, bullshit)... why would you make him keep riding precariously on top of the car, buffeted by wind and air currents?

Sorry. There's no way to polish this turd.

[mulsh]

20. I've never met a "family" dog who liked being separated from the family.

I grew up in an are with lots of 1%-er types, none of them would ever think of putting their dog on the roof of a car. their kids, sure, at least in the abstract.

This incident is wonderful in that it takes no thought to see how thoughtless, mean, and cruel these people are. And added bonus for me is that interview the wife gave, she's every inch as repellant has Willard and just as thoughtless,mean, and cruel.

did I mention these people are cruel, mean and thoughtless. I pity their offspring and the people around them.

[OhioChick]

15. No, nor have I ever "seen" anyone driving with a dog on the roof n/t

[Meiko]

18. I haven't either

pretty stupid idea.

[sorefeet]

22. No it's just wrong.

Then he hosed the poor dog down, while locked in a cage. Dog torture, then he clipped down the road a 70 miles an hour, I'm sure it was cold. You can judge a man by the way he treats his animals. This was just inhumane.

[PatSeg]

23. Never

And what is even more baffling is it was Mitt who told the story, as if it was an acceptable practice. He really saw nothing wrong with it and evidently still doesn't see what the problem is.

Ann seemed to think it was okay too, because "THE DOG" loved it. Who knows, maybe he did, though I doubt it. I've known dogs who love eating cat poop and chasing cars, but that doesn't mean their owners let them to it.

What was most telling to me was the way Ann said "THE DOG loved it" instead of "Seamus loved it". Whenever these people speak, it just reinforces how clueless they truly are.

[fascisthunter]

24. the guy is a sociopath... and those who vote for him...

... are subservient losers or sociopaths themselves.

"Yes/no sir, may I have another!"

[Luminous Animal]

25. I've met worse. My now dead father-in-law got pissed off

at the family dog during a fishing trip and wouldn't let him ride home in the car. He tied the dog to the bumper and made him run to keep up until the dogs paws were a bloody shredded mess.

[eShirl]

31. OMG how horrible

[Initech]

27. The only other one I can think of is Clark Griswold. And that was a movie.

[Zax2me]

28. Nope. Then again, never met anyone that ate them either.

Decided to just let sleeping dogs lie.

[Luminous Animal]

29. Haha! Yes, let's compare the actions of an 8-10 year old with an adult.

An 8-10 year old who was living in a culture that dog meat was not a taboo with a grown-man deciding to mistreat the family pet.

[trumad]

30. Not a bright post.

[freshwest]

32. No, but I drove over 3,000 miles with a dog and cat in the back seat of my pickup.

The dog was allowed to sprawl out on the back seat, as she was more dependable and stayed put.

The cat had to stay in its large travel cage in the back seat after she tried to get under the brake pedal.

If anyone wants to know why they weren't on the front seat, well, I had to put the kid there, okay?

And we all enjoyed the air conditioning and then we all stayed in pet friendly hotels on the way.