While I was out walking along Auburn Way South, I heard dogs barking behind me.

When I turned to look, I saw two dogs inside a station wagon. They were sitting on the lap of the motorist who was driving along with the commuter traffic. The driver’s window was down and the dogs were sticking their heads out of the vehicle as they barked.

I suppose that the motorist might normally be of sound mind, but in this situation, he was showing himself to be an idiot.

What in the world is wrong with dog lovers who put their pets, themselves and others in such danger?

As you know, I’ve walked thousands of miles around this great country of ours for the good of others. Too many times in my travels I’ve seen motorists with a “death wish” for themselves and their pets by allowing their precious pets to sit in the “driver’s seat.”

I read a couple years ago of a man who was enraged at a lady motorist he was following down the freeway. She had her beloved poodle on her lap and was moving too slowly. Road rage consumed him so much that he forced her off the road, ran up to her, grabbed the little dog from her lap and flung the helpless mutt into the passing traffic. Needless to say, the dog was killed.

A couple months ago, my wife and I saw a little poodle dog jump out of an open car window and land in the middle of Auburn Way. Fortunately, the motorists traveling in both directions were able to stop in time to avoid hitting the little creature. The owner got out of the car and retrieved the pet and drove off. That cute little pet was also sitting on the driver’s lap.

At another time, I even saw a young mother driving with her youngster sitting on her lap. She probably considered that an effective way to bond with her child. However, contrary to what she was thinking, it was stupid, illegal and a potentially effective way to lose her baby forever.

Not only is there a law against such treatment toward children, there also should be a law against allowing pets to sit on a driver’s lap.

Pet owners and child lovers everywhere, if you truly love your pet or your child, please show it by placing them in safety restraints ― like an approved car seat or a cage. Be sure the cage is for the animal, not the child.

Remember: Tough love is much better than “tough loss.”

Auburn’s Don Stevenson is an ultra-marathon walker who has covered thousands of miles for charitable causes. He is a former former teacher, pastor, volunteer, firefighter, truck driver and Marine.