Florida bill would ban dogs from sticking heads out car windows

Everything’s just so doggone paw-litical.

A state bill filed in Florida last week would make it illegal for dogs to stick their heads out of moving car windows — a past time man’s best friend famously loves.

The unnamed bill — introduced by Democratic state Sen. Lauren Book — includes several provisions that would ensure the safety of canines when inside a moving vehicle.

If passed, a dog would not be allowed to “extend its head or any other body part outside a motor vehicle window while the person is operating the motor vehicle on a public roadway,” the bill states.

The bill would greatly limit how a dog could be situated inside a vehicle. Canines would need to be secured either by a harness or pet seat belt that is specifically designed for the car — and would not be restrained at the neck — or inside a crate that adheres to particular size regulations.

Dogs may be held in a person’s lap if a crate or harness is not available, so long as it is not the driver of the vehicle.

A proposed Florida bill would make it illegal for a dog to hang its head out car windows.
Getty Images/EyeEm

Those who neglect the new rules could be charged with a misdemeanor, the proposed law states.

Book does not explain in the bill itself why she is seeking to enact the animal welfare regulations, but the American Humane Society had recommended the same rules in a June 2022 driving safety fact sheet.

“Never allow pets to stick any portion of their bodies out the window,” the animal advocacy group stated.

“Although most dogs love to stick their heads out open windows, the wind can seriously irritate mucous membranes and blow pieces of grit or other debris into their eyes. Pets could also be seriously injured by objects as you drive down the road.”


Florida state Sen. Lauren Book
The bill was sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Lauren Book.
LaurenBookFL/Facebook

Book did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

The hefty animal welfare law includes many sections that cover a plethora of protections for furry friends, including prohibiting cat declawing unless necessary for medical therapy, rabbit sales before Easter and tethering of domestic pets.

The bill would also ban cosmetic testing on animals for any product — including cleansers, beauty treatments, shampoos, etc. — that would only be created for human application.

Another provision would allow courts to ban offenders from owning animals as a condition of probation.

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