Is your dog safe in your vehicle? Do you properly restrain her whether you are driving three miles or three hours? If you answered “no”, you need to read this post and do some serious thinking unless you don’t care about the safety of yourself and your pup.
When you drive, you most likely wear your seat belt, it is typically the law. Children must be properly restrained for their age too. What about dogs? For some odd reason, humans feel dogs don’t need to be restrained. Did you know 84% of people traveling with their dog or dogs don’t have them restrained? 17% of people let their dog sit on their lap while they drive! When asked about it, many people say they are just going a short distance so there is no need to restrain their dog. What is wrong here?
- Did you know 52% of vehicle accidents actually happen within five miles of a person’s home?
- If your dog is on your lap when the airbag goes off, it will likely severely injure or kill your dog.
- Unrestrained dogs cause distractions for the driver, making accidents more likely.
- Dogs who are not restrained can become dangerous projectiles in a crash.
A good example of why a dog needs to be restrained comes from Mom’s experience in Germany in 2005. Katie was riding in the convertible as she did all the time. She wore her seat belt for safety, and her Doggles to protect her eyes from the wind. One day, she saw her dog friend from her seat in the car. Katie was so excited, she jumped out of the car in an attempt to get to her friend. Thankfully Mom was in town and not driving very fast. Katie was buckled in with her seat belt and rather than falling into the road, she simply hung from the side of the car until Mom could pull over and get her back in the car. Had she not had her seat belt on, she would have been severely injured or killed.
We all wear an All Safe Seat Belt Harness. They are the safest tested seat belts in the world. Germany requires dogs to be restrained in vehicles and with the Autobahn, they have strict standards. These seat belts are approved for Germany. They are expensive, over $100 a piece, but they last forever. Mom has had the one Bailie and Nelson share for about twenty years and it is still in great shape. Madison has Emma’s old one, I have a newer one. We also have a puppy one. Many dog seat belts on the markets are not truly safe, you have to do your research.
What makes these seat belts so good? They are made out of seat belts and use steel for the fasterners. They are also padded for comfort and to reduce injury in event of a crash. The strap for the car screws into the child restraint holder in all vehicles making it a secure place to be fastened.
We find them comfortable and we even help Mom get them on when it is time to get into the car.
Some of us, like Nelson, may find the seat belt a bit too comfy. He is known to stretch out and become a seat hog on trips.
If you prefer to restrain your pup in a kennel, remember all kennels are not created equal. Wire kennels are easily squished with your dog inside in an accident. The plastic ones that screw together are brittle and will break apart in an accident offering not only no protection for your dog, but a way for them to possibly escape. There are a couple more expensive kennels that are very safe, impact crates and Ruff Land crates. We have Ruff Land crates when we need one.
The Ruff Land crates are one piece, so there is nothing to break apart. They are also created to absorb the shocks of a crash, which helps to reduce injuries to your dog. Bailie almost always rides in her Ruff Land crate as she is too nervous in the car which makes Mom nervous. The crates come in a variety of colors and there are a lot of other options when you order as well.
Before you hop in the car with your dog the next time, think about how they are restrained. For your safety and the safety of your dog, please restrain them properly whenever they are in a vehicle. It is not hard to do and may save a life.