Is It Illegal To Let Dogs Ride In An Open Truck Bed In Michigan?

When I was a kid, there was no cooler feeling than jumping in the back of grandpa's pickup truck and riding around town. Sitting in the bed, the wind whipping you around, and laughing every time he'd hit a bump, my siblings and I would bounce. Sure, it wasn't "safe" and was definitely illegal, but he was going slow, and we lived in the country; that's just what you do...

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We were able to grab the edges of the truck and take care of ourselves. However, a growing trend of driving around with your dogs in the back of the pickup is rubbing people the wrong way. Not just because it's very unsafe for the dogs, but because it is illegal in some states. So let's break down the law a little and see what the state says.

Can Dogs Ride In A Truck Bed?

As mentioned above, it isn't safe for any living thing to ride in the truck bed without support, as it can be tossed around and hurt. Michigan State University states that only six states have laws expressly forbidding dogs from riding unrestrained in the back of pickups; Michigan isn't one of them.

Read More: Police Crack Down on Forgotten Driving Law in Michigan |

However, Michigan does have laws regarding the transportation of a "wolf-dog cross" in a vehicle, which is "applicable to a dog", meaning these laws were made with regular dogs in mind. Curiously, the law explicitly mentions the wolf-dog being in the bed of a truck.

Michigan Law Section 287.1007 details the conditions the wolf-dog should be in while in motion:

• The wolf-dog cross shall be individually and securely caged, even while inside a passenger vehicle or in the bed of a truck.
• The wolf-dog cross's cage shall be large enough to ensure that the wolf-dog cross has sufficient space to stand erect, turn around, and lie naturally.

So while it is generally frowned upon to have your dog in your truck bed, there are safe ways to do it. If you have questions about how to do it, reach out to local police on the non-emergency number and see what they recommend.