So your friend is driving down the street, highway, or whatever, and you roll your window down. You stick your hand out the window and let it flow in the wind, and then the idea hits you.
You throw a look into the rear view mirror to make sure no other cars are in your immediate area, and you sit up as far as you can. Finally, you lean over and stick your head and shoulders out of the car and the feeling of pure, unadulterated bliss comes over you. If for some reason you hit a mailbox or whatever it wouldn’t matter, because at least you’d die happy.
Seriously, guys. This is the best. Why does this feel so good? I’m trying to narrow it down here and what I’m getting is this:
1. If you’ve got the right song, you can totally pretend you’re in a music video/movie.
That’s right. Turn on some slow indie tunes and thrust your whole life out that window. You can practically feel your life turning into some dramatic movie you would have been obsessed with in your teens. The dialogue stops and all you hear is music for a few seconds. It’s that scene where your fave character is probably contemplating some hard decision, but at least you’re just on a food run.
2. It just plain feels nice.
The wind on your face is something you can’t really get anywhere else. I mean, you could go outside during a thunderstorm or something, but then there’s rain, lightning, the eminent threat of a tree branch hitting you in the face, which is awful. And a fan just isn’t the same. The rush of sticking your head out a window during a car ride feels great against your face and your soul (if no bugs are involved, anyhow).
3. It’s super relaxing.
Your hair’s flying back, the sound of the tires against the road, and the wind in your ears can make quite the lullaby. Now, I don’t actually suggest falling asleep with your face hanging out the window, but if you’re ever looking for a fool-proof stress reliever, this is it. Just put your hair down (and prepare for some pretty nasty knots later on, if you have longer hair) and let all your troubles fade into the background. Yon won’t be able to hear anything over the noise, anyway.
4. It’s freeing.
It almost feels a little like flying, or what I imagine flying would be like. You can feel and hear the wind against your face, you look up and you see the city or the trees flying past you in a blur. You look down and you see the road passing underneath you. The lines on the street running together. You look up and you see the clouds, moving ever so slowly despite how fast you’re going. You feel weightless.
Anyway, whatever it is that makes sticking your head out the car window, it sure is fun. Dogs really know what they’re doing. Please, for the love of God, just go stick your head out of the car window.
Let’s face it: we are bombarded with images of dogs enjoying the wind in their fur as they ride down the highway with their head out the window. We all see the joy that dogs get in sticking their head out the window of a moving car so it’s a natural question as to whether it’s a good idea or not.
The short answer: it is NOT good to allow your dog to put his head out the window of your car.
For all the pleasure he may get out of it, you’re endangering his life by allowing him to put his head out the window of the moving car.
But there are safe alternatives to let your dog enjoy the sensation of fresh air and scents while keeping him safe as you travel together on day trips or errands.
Why Do Dogs Like to Put Their Head Out the Car Window?
There’s no denying that dogs love to ride with their head out the window.
Why? Not only do they love the feel of the wind in their fur but they like the many scents they’re receiving as they experience new locations.
Why It’s Dangerous for Your Dog to Ride with His Head Out the Car Window
The potential dangers are numerous:
- your dog could lean too far and fall out the car. We’ve seen so many cars with the window fully lowered and the dog standing on the door, a terrible and probably fatal accident just waiting to happen.
- he could suddenly jump from the car when you’re stopped if you have left the window down. (And while I know that many of you will say you only leave the window down enough for your dog’s head to go out the window, just this afternoon I saw a dog’s head and chest all the way out while the window was completely lowered.) As much as you might trust your dog’s training, do you really want to put it to the test? If you’re at a stop and your dog sees a squirrel, are you 100% positive he will not try to jump from the car?
- you could suddenly have to stop (or be hit) and he could fall out of the car.
- he could get a bug or other object embedded in his eye. Even the smallest particle becomes a projectile in a moving car and could cause him to lose his eye. I can say this with first-person knowledge. In college, I was driving with the window down when an insect flew in and embedded itself in my left eyeball. I had to have the insect literally cut from my eyeball. I was lucky; other than the pain, my vision wasn’t impacted but things could have ended much differently.
- your car could suddenly be sideswiped, crushing your dog between the two cars.
- you could lose control of the car and hit an object (or not see an object that’s protruding) with the side of the car where he’s riding unprotected.
Safe Alternatives to Letting Your Dog Put His Head Out the Window
Instead of letting your dog put his head out the window, just crack the rear windows slightly so he gets the breeze and all the smells that come along with it.
He’ll still have the sensation of a lowered window but won’t be at risk for the above dangers. (To prevent overheating in warm weather, be sure the air-conditioner is on and getting to his part of the car as well.)
One warning: be sure the rear windows are LOCKED. Many dogs–including our Tiki–quickly learn how to lower automatic windows!
Another option, if your dog is safely secured with a dog seatbelt that doesn’t provide a tether long enough for him to get his head out the window, is to buckle your dog in the back seat and lower the back window so the air is blowing on him–but the seatbelt prevent your dog from getting his head out the window.
You’ll all ride a lot safer…and a safe ride is the REAL joy of every car trip!