RAC refused to help breakdown because they had dogs inside the vehicle

GwylimT

trollopscarletwoman wrote: »

Going on that then the rac probably couldn't have dealt with that number of dogs.

Unless they used more than 1 vehicle and I don't think they'd be happy with that.

Animal belts-What are they?

You would need a large vehicle for that many crates, even if the dogs were small, plus the vehicles tend to be flat beds, not vans.

Seat belts for animals, they look like a study harness with quite a bit of padding in the chest, they clip onto the existing seat belts in the car, so the dog can sit on the seat, even on someones knee as long as the dog isn't too big.

Mojisola

pawsies wrote: »

No, the owners were on the hard shoulder where they broke down. They called the RAC who told them as the dogs were inside they couldn't help. 3 hours later a lorry collided with them.

Why didn't the owners follow police advice which is to get everyone out of the vehicle if you break down on the motorway?

They could have taken the dogs up the bank and tied them to trees where they would have been safe.

Raksha

Mojisola wrote: »

Why didn't the owners follow police advice which is to get everyone out of the vehicle if you break down on the motorway?

They could have taken the dogs up the bank and tied them to trees where they would have been safe.

Looking at the picture the embankment is covered by thick undergrowth, so your idea probably wasn't practical :-(

thorsoak

The dogs were securely contained IN CRATES in the camper-van. The crates were securely fixed IN the camper van. The three ladies who owned them were confident that their dogs were safer in the van, than they would have been on the embankment.

It is "at the discretion" of the Recovery driver as to whether or not he recovers a vehicle which contains dogs - whether one or twelve. The driver COULD have towed the camper van - with the dogs still safely secure in their crates - but he decided to use his discretion and refuse to take on the recovery.

The ladies concerned are devasted - three dogs are dead, three are still missing, I believe (one has been recovered) - and two of the ladies have been injured.

We were made aware of the RAC policy when we used to travel with friends to the Championship Dogshows around the country - we would be taking three dogs, they would be taking three or four dogs . Ours were medium sized dogs, theirs were giant breeds. We had a long-wheel base Ford Transit which had been fitted with roll-proof crates, so that the dogs should be kept safe in the event of a collison. Our friend was also a mechanic, and so we were fairly confident that we could cope in the event of a breakdown.

We chose not to pay for RAC/AA Rescue because of their dog policy - but often people who have only one dog don't realise this could also happen to them.

These ladies thought that they would have been alright because their dogs were secure in their crates - but hadn't thought that the driver would refuse to take them

pawsies

Thanks thorsoak I didn't know all of those details

All of the dogs are safe now though. I have been reading the owners facebook page.

Mojisola

Raksha wrote: »

Looking at the picture the embankment is covered by thick undergrowth, so your idea probably wasn't practical :-(

Undergrowth can be stamped down to make a small area accessible.

Better to try that than leave the dogs in the vehicle.

GwylimT

I very much doubt those dogs were in crates, as the camper van was furnished there would be very little floor space to anchor the crates, in the photo there also isn't the slight evidence of a single dog crate. You can also see by the base size that it was a very small camper van, which further shows that it would be unable to house 12 dog crates, or 6 large ones if dogs were sharing.

The reason people cannot travel in a caravan/campervan unless in the cab is because it doesn't offer any protection during an accident, unfortunately they knew the risk they were taking, yet another reason why animal owners need to fully understand how to transport them properly and safely.

thorsoak

http://www.dogworld.co.uk/product.php/104797

The largest dog was a Cardigan Corgi, the others were smaller (toy poodles, chinese crested).

MatyMoo

pawsies wrote: »

Thanks thorsoak I didn't know all of those details

All of the dogs are safe now though. I have been reading the owners facebook page.

The missing dogs are safe, but 3 dogs died and 2 of the ladies have been injured.

I am not sure I would have been able to stand out on the bank for 3 hours (which is how long they had been there when the accident happened) in the dark on a cold November night with my two dogs. I think the constant lights and noise would have freaked them out and it would have been quite dangerous for them and me.

thorsoak

MatyMoo wrote: »

The missing dogs are safe, but 3 dogs died and 2 of the ladies have been injured.

I am not sure I would have been able to stand out on the bank for 3 hours (which is how long they had been there when the accident happened) in the dark on a cold November night with my two dogs. I think the constant lights and noise would have freaked them out and it would have been quite dangerous for them and me.

Quite. And smaller dogs would have been far more distressed - which is why they were kept contained in the campervan. No-one would expect to take horses out of a horsebox if they were involved in a breakdown, would they?