Last week it was reported that several dogs had died on an Interislander ferry crossing. It’s the second time this has happened recently, with five racing Greyhounds dying in another incident in January 2018.
I’ve taken the ferry with my dogs numerous times, so was initially very concerned when this headline broke. After learning more about what happened, though, I’m satisfied that ferry crossings don’t pose any significant danger to my dogs. Here’s why I don’t think a carload of agility dogs are going to be the next victims.
The January 2018 Incident
The six Greyhounds were left in the back of a van during the crossing. They were reportedly parked near the centre of the ferry, where vents release the hot air from the engine room. It was reported that the front windows were left halfway down.
What went wrong: The crates in the back of the van had no barrier between the dogs and the sliding door of the van. This meant that the rear windows and the sliding door had to be left closed, or the Greyhounds would have been able to escape. The trainer reportedly instructed the driver of the van to leave the rear door open during the crossing, but he didn’t. Five of the six dogs died – the one that survived was the one closest to the front seats, where the windows had been left partially down.
How to prevent it: If you usually travel with your dogs loose in the car, consider investing in some crates. Kit your vehicle out so that your dogs are safely contained, even if all windows and doors are open. Make some sort of obvious reminder to yourself so that you don’t forget to do this before you leave the car – how about hiding your handbag underneath a life-size drawing of a dead Greyhound?
The February 2019 Incident
The initial news articles said that two dogs had died, from a ute containing six dogs. This figure has now been revised upwards to “five or more dogs”, although the exact facts won’t be revealed until the SPCA investigation is complete.
What went wrong: A video was published on Stuff three days after the incident, showing eight seconds of footage of the vehicle that the dogs were travelling in. It shows a farm-style ute with a fairly short tray. The dogs were in an aluminium box which takes up two-thirds of this space. It’s about the same length as the the high-vizzed torso of the person standing next to it, probably under a metre.
How to prevent it: I probably don’t need to explain this to any agility competitors, but … Don’t transport your dogs in an uninsulated metal box. Don’t transport your dogs in an uninsulated metal box which doesn’t provide an opening to allow air to circulate while still containing the dogs. Don’t transport six dogs in an uninsulated metal box which doesn’t appear to be big enough for them all to lie down at the same time.