Car Travel..Keep Em' Safe!

Welcome to the crazy of summer!! I am getting this out a bit late, better late than not at all. 😉

Todays topic.....CAR TRAVEL. We have many options when it comes to how we get our pups from point A to B. Crates (oh so many choices on this alone), seat belts, car seats, barriers, loose....I am sure I am missing something on my list.My goal with todays chat is to to bring awareness of WHY our pets should be secure. I don't know about you, but I do not, nor would I, allow my children (yes, the two legged kind) ride around in the car without being in a seat belt. So why would I not do the same for my dogs?

I personally use a combo of options when traveling, all depending on what car, how many dogs, how many people, how much "stuff" I have to take with me ect.

I can count on one hand, in all my years, that I have allowed my dogs to ride loose in the car. Each time that I have done it, I worry and stress....and that is just around town. Let me tell you why this is just not a good idea....if (God forbid) we were ever in an accident, I do not want my dogs to become a hazard to myself, my family, or to themselves. In an abrupt stop, the chances are extremely high that your dog will go flying forward, which means they can hit a person, or the windshield. This can cause serious injury to YOU and even possible death to THEM. Sadly I know people who this has happened to. 😥

On the flip side, if your dog is not injured (thank goodness), but you are and you need medical attention, there is a risk that your dog will not allow people to help you (yep, I have friends who this has happened too as well). This can delay you medical attention, and can also result in extreme measures having to be taken by people, which can result in injury or death to your dog.

Plus there is always, the potential of an accident, your dog being scared and running away to be hit by another car or getting lost.

I prefer my dogs to ride in their crates (which I will go deeper into next week). Over the years, I have used hard crates, wire crates, and soft crates. Yes some are much safer than others, though regardless of what type of crate I have used, I always strap them down (you do not need a crate flying forward hitting you either). The reality is, that for some trips, I can't fit all their crates, with all my people, and our stuff. Which led me to researching harness options.Some dogs and/or owners prefer to use a seatbelt / harness type. For little dogs there are also boosters. I actually do own a booster seat for Reckon (my super cute fuzzy white dog....otherwise known as a Russell Terrier). This allows him to see out the window, keeping in one spot, all the while attached to his harness.

When considering a harness for my dogs, I actually did a LOT of research. Did you know that there are actual crash tests for dogs? If you are nerdy like me and want to check out all the facts visit the Center For Pet Safety website and watch the videos.

http://www.centerforpetsafety.org/…/2013-harness-crash-te…/….

What I didn't know when I first started my research, is that there are better options/brands for different size dogs. I chose to go with the Bergan Harness with the K&H Bucket Booster Pet Seat. (you can check these out on my Amazon store under car travel: https://www.amazon.com/shop/pawsitiveprinciples) My choice was made based on price point AND because the small and medium size dog test results were not catastrophic. As a you will find...most harnesses do not pass the catastrophic test. ☹️

If you are like most people, you may not have given much thought to car safety. My goal of this post is to hopefully give you some food for thought when it comes to taking your next road trip, be it to go to the park, the vet, or on your next family vacation.

NEXT WEEKS TRAINING TUESDAY, I will dive into the topic of CRATES IN THE CAR....you thought harnesses were a thing....wait till I share the crate topic with you. 😁

Do you use a harness? If so, what type do you use? Join our discussion on FB!