Is it ok to put dogs in the bed of a Tundra?

[rambn]

Originally Posted by StatCoder

OK, I'm not expecting to get any definitive resolution to this question here, I'm just asking for some opinions.

When I was looking in to adopting a couple of greyhounds over ten years ago, I did a bunch of reading on greyhound lover's sites. To them, putting dogs in the back of a pickup truck was a horrible offense. I found it kind of odd since 20 years earlier, nobody seemed to take offense at me and my cousins riding in the back of my uncle's Toyota pickup for long higway trips. At any rate, I'm not interested in having total strangers yell at me while I'm driving around so I haven't put the dogs back there without a topper like a Can-Back.

Now, the new Tundra has a pretty deep bed. I'm going to put a bedrug in there which looks mighty comfy. I'm probably going to buy a Softopper to put on my bed if I'm going to go on a long trip with the dogs but I'm kind of tempted to see of the dogs will do OK back there on short trips without a top.

Just because 20 years ago nobody "took offense" at passengers riding in the bed of a truck doesn't make it safe today for people or animals. There are many common practices that have since been outlawed due to advances in safety technology and awareness.

Cleary, each person is responsible for the safety and care of their animals. I suggest asking your vet. I asked mine, and he said that it would be too dangerous to have them loose in the bed of the truck, even with a bedrug. However, he does suggest securing kennels in the bed of the truck. It's safer for the dog, and also they feel more comfortable in the small space.