Q: For many reasons, including a need sometimes to sleep in my car and sometimes haul really long things, I have decided it’d be really great to have an SUV or hatchback with a front seat that folds flat (as the back seats do). I’ve never seen one. Do they exist and, if so, who offers them?
A: They are available, and they’re not as rare as you might think. Among vehicles that have them: Buick Encore, Toyota Matrix, Nissan Rogue, Volkswagen Tiguan and Dodge Journey. This is not a complete list. In many cases, the fold-flat passenger front seat is an option for which you’ll pay extra.
Q: We just returned from a trip to Colorado and Wyoming, and the number of dogs roaming around the back of pickup trucks traveling on the highways was horrifying. We’re from a state (California) where that’s illegal, and we thought other states had banned it, too. Guess not. Did we just wind up in the middle of cruelty central, or is this kind of law rare?
A: Laws banning loose dogs in the back of low-side trucks exist in a few states and cities. They aren’t identical. Some allow dogs to be tethered in the back of a pickup (which I hate—there are tangling dangers, choking dangers and if the truck rolls there’s a hanged and/or crushed dog); most allow dogs in crates in the back of trucks (not all dictate that the crate be secured in a particular way, which can lead to crates bouncing out, and I also worry about heat in the summer and cold in the winter, though this approach is better a loose dog).
I’ve found no group that has compiled a list of all cities or states that ban loose dogs in low-sided trucks (readers: let me know if you’ve discovered one, please). I’ve found that some form of ban exists in your state and Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Florida. Some cities, including Indianapolis and Cheyenne, Wyoming, have also enacted laws.
The horrors that occur when dogs are thrown from or leap from truck beds are awful. An oft-quoted figure is that 100,000 animals are killed or injured in this way annually.
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What’s your question? Sharon Peters would like to hear about what’s on your mind when it comes to caring for, driving and repairing your vehicle. Email Sharon@ctwfeatures.com.