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[font=Helvetica,Helv,Geneva,San Serif,Geneva]Proposal could put seat belts on dogs[/font]
[size=-1] By Allison Knezevich
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, July 5, 2005 [/size]
Where Fido finds a breath of fresh air, Marc McCann, 11, sees a road hazard.
The Green Tree boy helped a state lawmaker craft a proposal that would make it illegal for dogs and other pets to stick their heads out the car window, which McCann says is a danger to animals and a distraction to drivers.
McCann's idea now has a shot at becoming law, thanks to a contest called "There Ought to Be a Law," sponsored annually by Rep. Tom Stevenson, R-Mt. Lebanon.
"I never did like dogs sticking their heads out the window," said McCann, who will be a sixth-grader this fall at Keystone Oaks Middle School. "Maybe a sign might have been too close to the road and they'd get hit. Maybe they'd jump out the window on a highway."
The bill, submitted to the Transportation Committee in June, would make it illegal for drivers to let their pets stick their heads or other body parts out the window. It also would require pets to be restrained by methods that could include a pet seat-belt system, or a crate or carrier box.
McCann said he was inspired simply by his love of animals.
"My cousin calls me Dr. Doolittle," said McCann, whose favorite dog breed is the Yorkshire.
Stevenson visited McCann's fifth-grade Aiken Elementary School class to teach them about the legislative process and invite them to enter his contest, now in its ninth year.
More than 500 students from Stevenson's district entered their ideas, and five district magistrates pored over the submissions to pick the winner, the legislator said.
When he won, McCann and his family were invited to Harrisburg to tour the Capitol and met with House Speaker John M. Perzel.
"It was wonderful," said McCann's mother, Sandy McCann. "We were very excited."
The bill is a matter of safety and would protect "not only human lives, but pet lives," Stevenson said. "I think it's a great idea, because it's going to cut down on driver distractions."
Alison Knezevich is an intern for the Pennsylvania Legislative Correspondents Association.
PittsburgLIVE.com
[size=-1] By Allison Knezevich
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, July 5, 2005 [/size]
Where Fido finds a breath of fresh air, Marc McCann, 11, sees a road hazard.
The Green Tree boy helped a state lawmaker craft a proposal that would make it illegal for dogs and other pets to stick their heads out the car window, which McCann says is a danger to animals and a distraction to drivers.
McCann's idea now has a shot at becoming law, thanks to a contest called "There Ought to Be a Law," sponsored annually by Rep. Tom Stevenson, R-Mt. Lebanon.
"I never did like dogs sticking their heads out the window," said McCann, who will be a sixth-grader this fall at Keystone Oaks Middle School. "Maybe a sign might have been too close to the road and they'd get hit. Maybe they'd jump out the window on a highway."
The bill, submitted to the Transportation Committee in June, would make it illegal for drivers to let their pets stick their heads or other body parts out the window. It also would require pets to be restrained by methods that could include a pet seat-belt system, or a crate or carrier box.
McCann said he was inspired simply by his love of animals.
"My cousin calls me Dr. Doolittle," said McCann, whose favorite dog breed is the Yorkshire.
Stevenson visited McCann's fifth-grade Aiken Elementary School class to teach them about the legislative process and invite them to enter his contest, now in its ninth year.
More than 500 students from Stevenson's district entered their ideas, and five district magistrates pored over the submissions to pick the winner, the legislator said.
When he won, McCann and his family were invited to Harrisburg to tour the Capitol and met with House Speaker John M. Perzel.
"It was wonderful," said McCann's mother, Sandy McCann. "We were very excited."
The bill is a matter of safety and would protect "not only human lives, but pet lives," Stevenson said. "I think it's a great idea, because it's going to cut down on driver distractions."
Alison Knezevich is an intern for the Pennsylvania Legislative Correspondents Association.
PittsburgLIVE.com
