THE PORTAL HUB - Pinzgauers, Haflingers, Volvo 303s and more!

To start with
Question:- What do Harleys & dogs have in common? Answer they like to ride in the back of PU trucks!

On a more serious note though I want to relay an event that took place on I/90 estbound last week on my way home from Idaho. Between Bute and Bozeman there's a high ridge to climb over with some tight winding bends on the Interstate; perhaps some of you are familiar with the area.

I was rolling down the east side in the Disco loaded up (like a Kuwaiti on a cross desert trip) doing about 55 mph rounding those bends when a full size PU came by me at about 70mph towing on of those goose necked huge box style camper trailers. As he passed me I glanced over to see there was a medium sized terrier dog snoozing and spreaded eagled out on the top of the trans mounted tool box behind the headache bar. Rounding the bend he suddley slammed on his brakes and 4 ways, I had to swerve out into the pass lane to avoid him.

As we passed the truck the poor mutt was hanging by its neck/collar from the leash attached to the headache bar. The poor thing was trying to scramble up the side of the bed whilst being flung around by the spinning rear wheel.
My brother in law (on his way back to Minnesota) was driving his old Volks diesel PU with one of our kids in the shot gun seat about a five cars behind. When he came upon the scene the dog had apparently broke off the collar and fell under the wheels. All broken up the poor thing according to my "bro in law" could be heard squealing in pain over the noise of his diesel engine as he passed.

I am not a dog lover but this made my wife have tears in her eyes and my daughter wondered what had happend to the dog as they passed.
This isn't the first time I have seen something like this happen. About a year ago I observed a big woolly mut get thrown out of a PU near my shop on I/70 at about 80 mph as the jackass werved through traffic. Luckily the dog survived the trip but caused alot of us to go into swerve mode to avoid a "mashing"!
Just a friendly reminder to think about "yer dog" if you carry one in the Pinz that's all.
Cheers dennis

It's common for folks to run around here with dogs in their truck. Some even on flat beds. I see some standing on top of the rear tool boxes.

I hate it too. I had my dog fall out of my Jeep one day. She was riding on the front passenger seat with the doors off. She just flopped out onto the road. Luckily I was only going about 10 MPH. Thanks goodness the rear wheels missed her. She didn't have a scratch on her.

Needless to say I learned a lesson, big time. I'm one of those nuts who's dog is like his kid. I don't know what I'ld do if I ran her over!

I’m guilty as Dennis knows my dog goes every where I do I even take him to work He has only jumped out once after a rabbit not sure why I would be heart broke if I ever lost him my wife some times makes the comment that I carry more for him than for her. Not true but he never talks back

I do not think many people realise that after a forced stop such as in an accident the inertia that is subjected to loose bits of equipment, poeple or in this case a dog is a massive force. A mutt hitting one in the back of the head at speed is very likely to snap ones neck.

Years ago we had a young man on ventilation in ICU following a road traffic accident. After a couple of weeks in a comatose state he was brought round and then the horrendous task of informing him that his twin brother was dead had to be gone through. The surviving twin was sitting unsecured in the rear seat at the time of the collision, and his head impaled the back of of the driver and his twin brother brothers head killing him outright. The paramedics and fire crew Had to carefully separate the entangled bodies of the living and dead. The living brother was likely to be physically handicapped for the rest of his life because of some brain damage.

I occasionaly Carry passengers who are reluctant to wear seat belts. I ask them to put them on but they occasionaly refuse and argue that they are strong enough to hold them selves secure if any thing happens or other crap is that if we crash into a lake then they can get out safley and not be trapped. I give them one chance and then tell them to get out as I am not moving unless they put the belts on. Basically it is up to them if they want to end up like a squashed tomato but I do not want to mop it off the back of my head.

It is difficult for dog owners but proper restraints are available which have harness around the chest to prevent strangulation.

I used to have two Irish Wolf Hounds, the male weighed 14 Stone, I think if he had of collided with me I might have ended up like one of those Tom & Gerry characters.

Dogs should never be allowed to have their heads hanging out a moving car windows not just because of the dangers of decapitation but it caused conjunctivitis because of the wind blast to the eyes.

OK, I gotta write. Thanks for a reminder that some folks need Dennis. Colorado was famous for the dog-on-truck trick when I lived there. I've got a funny story though;
Years ago, I owned a CJ5 (first of three), and a dog named Cleo. Cleo loved to go everywhere I went. One evening several of my friends were having a beer party at a local quarry (this IS Wisconsin), and we both went in the Jeep. I had quite a few, as did my friends. One buddy got sick on sloe gin, and puked. Well, you know what dogs do.....
Cleo got bombed, and all would have gone well, except that we had to drive home yet. She got in the front passenger seat and we headed off. As I took a turn, something prompted me to look over at her just as she slid off the seat and out the door (no doors of course). In one of those moves that cannot be duplicated, I reached out and grabbed her by the tail. We rounded the corner with her flying through the air, and then I pulled her back in again. She never even woke up.
Just lucky I guess.....
Paul

That CAN'T be a Wisconsin story...you didn't say anything about cheese.

Years ago I was driving down from up North. I needed to pass this pickup loaded with fire wood. In the bed was a dog making best of the space just inside the tailgate in the corner(the wood was mounded as high as the cab), and standing bolt upright on top of the cab was a 60-70 lb dog,tail sticking straight out back and ears flapping like mad in the wind! I made sure to pass with enough room so as to not make the truck back off the gas. I don't know how that animal could stay on a metal roof at over 60mph,and a sudden stop would be certain death! The out look for animals in a rural area seem to be not as good as in the city! I don't like such things,but it was quite amazing.
Mark