Breakdown cover and pets

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Tue 1 May 2012 21:41
Breakdown cover and pets - johnnyrev
Most of my car journeys are very local so (touch wood) if I ever needed to make use of breakdown cover, recovery and getting home would never be an issue. However, most longer journeys (holidays, visiting family etc) have an extra 2 passengers, our 2 dogs.

So if we did need to be towed or recovered by our friendly breakdown provider, what about the dogs? Would they be able to travel in the breakdown truck if we had to be towed? If not, then what?

I have scoured the website of one well known breakdown provider and can find no reference to pets, so does anyone have the answer?
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Tue 1 May 2012 21:54
Breakdown cover and pets - injection doc

On another forum a memeber has just had this very issue. Broke down in Scotland towing a caravan & the recovery would take the van & car but not the dogs !

H & S issue in the cab of the recovery lorry ! It became very very complicated and very very expensive for the dogs to be repatriated with their owners as the hire car had a clause that dogs were not allowed either !

Apparently it was all in the small print but i dont know what breakdown company it was !

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Tue 1 May 2012 22:56
Breakdown cover and pets - Chris M

Edited by Chris M on 01/05/2012 at 23:00

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Tue 1 May 2012 23:02
Breakdown cover and pets - daveyjp
Consider Autoaid which is a breakdown Insurance. You use any recovery agent, pay them then reclaim off Autoaid. A small independent company is less likely to have policies which prevent them earning hundreds from recovery work.

£38 a year for personal cover (i.e. insurance can be used in any vehicle you are driving or are a passenger in).
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Tue 1 May 2012 22:57
Breakdown cover and pets - Chris M

The AA policy document says:

Transporting animals The transportation or arrangement of the transportation of any animal (guide dogs or hearing dogs will be transported together with their owner, unless this is not possible for health and/or safety reasons). The AA will not recover horses or livestock. If the AA does at its absolute discretion, agree to transport an animal, then this will be at Your own risk. It is Your responsibility to secure any animal being transported or to make alternative arrangements for its transportation;

"Absolute discretion" would seem to leave it up to the recovery man which I think is fair enough if you have two large muddy dogs in the back of your failed Discovery. Same could apply if you have a yappy little Yorkie which won't shut up. One or two well behaved dogs and a dog loving recovery man should be OK.

?Not the assurance you're looking for, is it!

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Sat 12 Sep 2020 09:14
Breakdown cover and pets - Steveieb

Happened to me at Donnington services.

Brittania agent recovered the car and my partner and insisted the dog travelled in the car on a very hot day.

Ended up stranded for two hours just me and the dog until my daughter rescued me and the dog.

Last time I spoke to Start they said that subject to the agreement of the recovery agent they would allow the pet to join the passengers.

Even claiming that my cockerpoo had no allergies made no difference.

So Start rescue which did extremely well in Which and overtook Autoaid are a good place to start.

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Sat 12 Sep 2020 09:59
Breakdown cover and pets - Brit_in_Germany

I fail to see why they shouldn't stay in the car with all the windows open a few inches.

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Sat 12 Sep 2020 10:43
Breakdown cover and pets - Bromptonaut

I fail to see why they shouldn't stay in the car with all the windows open a few inches.

I think that might be a bit risky. I'm no expert but IIRC dogs cannot sweat and are susceptible to heat induced death. Not sure that even with forced ventilation from motion one could be certain the dog would not suffer in heatwave temperatures as earlier this summer (or forecast for coming days in south of England).

Edited by Bromptonaut on 12/09/2020 at 14:19

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Sat 12 Sep 2020 14:28
Breakdown cover and pets - Bromptonaut

Even claiming that my cockerpoo had no allergies made no difference.

Cockerpoos are said to be hypoallergenic. Other sources say that while they're very low shedding there's no such thing as a dog that doesn't lose some hair. There's probably also variation depending on exactly how the Cocker and Poodle genes interact.

If you're allergic to extent of triggering an asthma attack or worse you won't be wanting one in your work vehicle.

I've worked in past with a colleague who was genuinely frightened of dogs; result of a bad experience in her youth. She visibly struggled to control herself when one was brought into the office by an unknowing member of staff.

Islam also has an issue with dogs.

Plenty of reasons why people won't want one in a confined space with them even if it's small and well socialised with people.

Edited by Bromptonaut on 12/09/2020 at 14:30

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Sat 12 Sep 2020 20:05
Breakdown cover and pets - Steveieb

Yes, it was a really hot day and I was not prepared to allow my daughters dog to travel unaccompanied in a car being towed at 45 degree angle.

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