Dog car safety is super important when it comes to your Furry Friend! You know that feeling when you are driving, minding your own business and a rock hits your windshield, cracking it? Or when you are in your lane, maintaining a safe speed and another driver gets in your lane without signaling and cutting it close and you have to step on the brakes and your lunch goes flying forward, ruining it? Or God forbid, you get in an accident and your possessions get ejected from your vehicle and are all over the road?
Now, substitute your pup for that windshield, your lunch, or possessions that get ejected. How awful is that? The good news is that adding 10 seconds to your routine when you put your pup in the car can help prevent that.
Securing Your Dog Safely
When you hit the road, safely confine your dog. If space allows and your dog loves her crate, put a crate in the cargo area and crate your dog. Not possible? There are still plenty of options. You can purchase a “seat leash” that attaches to your headrest, a dog seatbelt, or a “seat strap”. These all attach to your dog’s everyday harness. You can also purchase a complete car safety package. That is my favorite option, especially when I am rushing. It’s already in the car and ready to go! Add dog and go. When purchasing any product that clips directly into the buckle portion of your seatbelt, make sure you test its strength and ability to remain in the buckle. Be certain that you did not receive a defect product that ejects the moment you pull on it.
Accidents happen all the time. Almost all of us can remember a Facebook post or email blast asking for people to look out for a pup that ran away from the vehicle when it was involved in an accident. According to petstech.com, 1.6 MILLION dogs die each year in automobile accidents. Please do not assume “it won’t happen to me” or tell yourself “I’ll do it next time”. They are called accidents for a reason. And the old saying “better safe than sorry” absolutely applies to your pup in the vehicle.
Some of my favorite dog car safety products are:
https://www.kurgo.com/dog-travel/leash-to-seatbelt-buckle/
https://www.kurgo.com/dog-harnesses/enhanced-strength-dog-car-harness/
https://www.amazon.com/Leash-Boss-Seat-Belt-Restraint/dp/B01GF69PV2
Not sure which one is right for you? Check out chewy.com’s best seat belts/restraints:
https://www.chewy.com/b/seat-belts-restrainers-2409