Look, my grandparents had a farm – and we – and the family pets – rode in the back of a truck bed. But we couldn’t stand, we  had to sit down, and at no time were we ever CLOSE to highway speeds.

This week I was on 135 coming back from Hesston, when I was passed by a pick-up doing at least 75.  What got to me… there was a dog riding on the toolbox. This was a metal diamond plate box that sat higher than the walls of that truck bed. I had a weird feeling in the pit of  my stomach – it was dread. If that truck had to swerve or brake suddenly, that dog was likely overboard.

The movie that was playing out in my head did not have a happy ending. Now, “Rusty” may have liked being up there, while  looking in at the safety of the cab, sprawled out on that box – ears flattened like an airplane – and the wind swirling all around.  IMO – he didn’t appear relaxed. I’ll admit, I was a little upset. I’ve seen a dog in the bed, but never sitting up so high going so fast.

I searched the web to see if this was legal. I couldn’t find anything at all that said it was not. Still curious, I went to who I thought was the ultimate authority – Trooper Ben of the Kansas Highway Patrol. A GREAT follow on X (Twitter) by the way.  His response, “Nope.” No law that he was aware of.

I have a soft spot for pets of all kinds. I’m sure that’s why I had my panic moment. Again, maybe “Rusty” was cool back there, but I think he would have been happier in the cab with his head on someone’s lap or poking out the window. But as JJ would say, “That’s just me.”

This whole incident reminded me of a couple of dog songs. One is actually called, “Dog On A Toolbox” from 1995. You can watch below.

Photo Credit: Reuters

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