Dorothy Westerman
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (May 27/05) - When Robin Weber popped her dog Thor into the back of her open truck one afternoon and headed out to the Ingraham Trail a few years ago, little did she know he would escape serious injury.

"We drove around a corner and I looked in the back and he wasn't there," she said of the German Shepherd.

"We had to go back and get him. He was a little sore and a little bruised, but he was very lucky," Weber said of the fall from the moving vehicle the dog experienced.

Thor then had to be put on medication for sore joints which eventually led to his euthanasia several years later.

Until then, Weber was unaware of the dangers of leaving a dog untethered in the back of a truck.

She said she immediately purchased a Y-leash for Thor.

Weber said the leash was not difficult to attach to the truck and he adapted quickly to the new security device.

Janet Pacey, president of the NWT SPCA, said because many people are unaware of the risk their dogs may fall from a moving vehicle, a poster campaign is beginning throughout the city as a safety reminder to pet owners.

"There is nothing for a dog to hold onto. There is nothing stopping a dog from being a victim of inertia.

"There have been lots of dogs over the years (injured due to falling from a vehicle). This is the time of year it seems to happen a lot," Pacey said.

The Y-leash is designed to tether the animal in place in the back of a truck and is very easy to install, she said.

Some car dealerships will sell the devices as options, she said, and various pet supply stores in Yellowknife sell them as well.

Pacey said the poster campaign will continue throughout the summer.

"We want to try and get people to not just let their dog hang out in the back of their truck. "It's dangerous in so many ways."