If you are anything like me (and I bet you are if you are reading this post), then you want to travel as
safely as possible with your dog. I am betting that most of you already take precautionary measures to ensure your dogs safety while driving & your safety as well. So just how does Fido travel?
Do you strap your dog into a car harness for dogs? Do you travel with your dog in a car crate? Did you know that for most pet products, manufacturers do not have to test their products? Is your dog harness or dog crate tested for crash protection, or just labeled to stop distracted driving?
So many questions and they can be daunting & confusing & misleading (shame on those trying to mislead us)! Luckily for us there is an independent company doing what is right. They are testing the doggie car seats, car harnesses for dogs, travel crates & are sharing their results. The Center For Pet Safety is a nonprofit organization stepping up to the plate & trying to find us the answers. I applaud them & applaud them again.
Lets start by looking at one of their testing videos which thankfully made headlines & needs to continue to make headlines so they can continue their work. I will warn you, it is a bit disturbing even though the dogs in the video are models (life weighted). Its the thought that this could be one of our precious dogs.
So where are they in their studies & what kind of results have the found so far? Heres the link to the actual 2013 dog harness safety study. Please open it & read their results on the various ways they tested car harnesses, which companies, and their results. I do also want to say, that The Center For Pet Safety has noted a lot of the companies are trying to improve their product safety, so kudos to those companies!
Top results according to their study:
- SleepyPod Clickit Utility Harness: "Center for Pet Safety 2013 Harness Study Report Summary Upon completion of scientific testing of pet safety harness products that claim "testing”, "crash testing” or "crash protection” CPS has determined that the SleepyPod Clickit Utility harness is the top performing pet safety harness brand of the 2013 Safety Harness Crashworthiness Study. The innovative three point connection prevents the launch and subsequent rotation of the test dog, thus improving human occupant safety and providing the dog the best possible chance of survival in the case of an accident."
I emailed The Center For Pet Safety to ask a few follow up questions. They were fast (2 hours) to respond. Boy, Im really loving this group! My first question was about the testing, how the dogs were always in a seated position. Knowing Dexter The Dog, he would be snoozing during our travels (he always falls asleep in the car). I was curious to know if this would make the results worse or better. The answer was that they tested "worse case scenario” so if he was laying down, it would not make the crash results worse, they may actually be better. Whew.
My other question was about crate testing. At this moment I have always traveled with Dexter being in a wire crate behind the passengers seat sandwiched between that seat & the back seat to prevent movement. The only video thus far I saw was where a wire crate was what looked like in the back of a SUV & slid around before being crushed. My answer was that they are working on more funding to do extensive testing on crate safety. They have not had the opportunity to extend this study out yet to crate safety. BUT, she did respond, " The only brand we know that has completed ample testing - and they publish their test evidence - is the VarioCage."
I was pretty excited to hear that a crate made the cut, but not so thrilled when I saw the crates started at over $700 Gulp! I love the idea of traveling with Dexter in a crate, so I can run into rest stops without him getting into mischief....he can be a stinker pot. Plus I always like to cover the crate when I do go inside so that its not obvious I have such a great dog inside! So what is a girl to do? Well, I think I will order the SleepyPod Clickit Utility harness & keep our wire crate also set up in the car to pop Dexter in when I run inside to do my business. This should cover our traveling needs for now.
What you can do to help: As I mentioned, The Center For Pet Safety is a non profit organization & can use monetary donations to help fund their studies. Every dollar counts & every dollar is going towards OUR dogs safety & our peace of mind knowing we are doing what is best for them. Please join me in donating to their cause & sharing this information. Not only will it help fund their studies, hopefully, it will increase the likelihood that manufacturers will continue to work up safe & comfortable traveling options for our dogs.
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