Dogs And Carjacking

Have you ever considered that how you manage your dog in and out of your car could affect your risk of being carjacked?

Here are some things to consider...

About 20% of carjackings happen in parking lots. Many people park in dark channelized areas, trapping themselves in pockets of barriers and other cars, that would make it hard to get away. It takes time to load and unload a dog into and out of a car. While you are managing your dog, most people are oblivious to what might be going on around them, especially from behind. Many people use ear devices, while blabbering away on their phones, while loading and unloading. All of this makes you a target, and even more so if you have a valuable dog that a criminal might want. Many criminals are carjacking in groups, to distract and then swarm a victim. I find most people aren't looking around, making quick scans, when managing their dogs and have no pre-planning in case something bad starts to develop. Lastly, most dogs will NOT protect you or your car in an emergency, and most people have no skills and are not in good enough physical shape to either defend themselves or to get away safely with their dogs.

I have been confronted by a stranger in a lonely parking lot before. Interesting story, but I got away safely. I have been followed going back to my car. By being aware, I deterred a group of men once they realized I was on to them. Many times, that is all it is going to take to foil an attack. But, they had a say in all of that, and it could have been nasty. Yes, I later called the police, but what good is that if they arrive after the fact? 

The walk from one safe area to another is called a "transitional space". Many crimes happen in transitional spaces. So long as you are lingering around your car, especially with the door or trunk open, as you load and unload, your situation intensifies the interest of a criminal looking for a victim. Most people act as though they are just as safe in transitional spaces as they are in safe spaces, not taking into account that that is an illusion. They are off guard, not in a safe situation, trapped. Ripe for the plucking.

Some people go along with the attitude: it will never happen to me. And they are probably right. That mindset also is an open invitation to a criminal who has learned to profile the foolish and vulnerable. There have been many stories of carjackings in which the outcome wasn't so nice for the dog, either.

Plan accordingly.