A Reminder About Doggie Car Seats

[Anya]

Though I'm sure everyone on the forum are responsible parents, I feel compelled to remind you all of securing your furbabies in car seats. We always have Cassidy in her car seat (which she loves). It just so happened that the other night, the ONE TIME we didn't put her in it, we were rearended at a red light. I had forgotten that I had put boxes in my trunk and then we went grocery shopping so...well, we ran out of room and didn't want her to be crowded with the boxes in the back seat. Luckily, the husband was driving and I had a good hold on her in the passenger seat with me but I shudder to think what would have happened if she was just sitting on the seat unsecured. We were hit quite hard and I hate to think..... Well, bottom line is: you just never know. I know we all regard our pups as near to our children as possible and just as I would never have had my daughter in the car without a car seat, same applies for Cassidy. Please be careful.

 

[hbmama]

Anya, thanks for this important post. Glad Cassidy and your family are okay after what I am sure was a very scary experience! It is true that even though most people wouldn't think of letting their children play about in a moving car without proper restraints, they are fine with a dog in their lap while driving!

I often see unrestrained dogs in moving cars jumping around excitedly, hanging out the window, and sitting on the drivers lap. An excited dog can easily distract a driver or get under foot pedals while the car is moving and actually be the cause of a traffic accident. Or, an impact can trigger an airbag which would likely be a fatal blow to any animal. The best way to safely transport pet is to firmly secure them in a plastic crate that is belted in, or if in a carseat designed for a dog, the use of a proper travel harness that is secured is a must. Also be aware that if you are using the harness/carseat that many new cars have side and curtain airbags in the back seat also, so a crate would be preferable in that situation.

 

[pippa]

Glad you are all ok.

 

[Cathy T]

Thanks for the reminder. I'm glad you are all okay. It's tempting when we're just going down the street not to strap them in.....it won't be tempting anymore!

 

[Melissa]

Wow, I'm glad you all are ok. It's so easy to think oh just hop in and we'll run here or there but it's so much better just to click everyone in.

 

[ruby2]

how do you properly strap a dog so small into a car? Are there proper car seats for dogs or what? I dont bring ruby because i dont want to put her in a crate?

 

[Karlin]

I am really glad all was well -- but need to point out something that is easy to overlook -- that there were still some serious risks simply as she was in the front passenger seat. It is really, really important to safely secure a dog in the back in cars (and not on the front seat where there's a passenger airbag which if it goes off will kill a small dog just as it will kill an infant or small child). They need to be safely secured not only for the dog's safety but for the humans' safety. A flying dog in a 35mph collision can carry a TON of impact force! :yikes That is enough impact to break a human neck like a twig!

if you are using the harness/carseat that many new cars have side and curtain airbags in the back seat also, so a crate would be preferable in that situation.

Another good point.

Just FYI the doggie car seats with a basic clip are NOT safety tested and do not comply to any safety guidelines at all and I do not know a single breeder or dog trainer who recommends them or believes them to be safe even used with a harness -- they elevate the dog up to a more lethal level for dog and humans, if the harness fails to hold. The safest way to transport a dog is in a hard crate that is seatbelted to the back seat, safely stowed wired crates, or in a restraint harness. A wire crate though can also be easily crushed so for overall safety, a hard crate or safety tested harness wins.

But: many emergency services responding to an accident will not even attempt to rescue a dog that is not inside a crate as well!! I know that in some regions they are specifically *forbidden* to try and help an uncrated animal. So for many reasons, a crate is really the best choice.