If you live with a pet – especially a dog – or are thinking about getting one (here is a great article about a newer mixture of dog you could welcome into your family) chances are, you take your four-legged friend for a ride in the car now and then. But do you make sure she’s buckled up and ready for the journey? It’s all well and good getting stylish dog harnesses but have you made sure it’s safe to travel in? The majority of people who go out and buy dogs wear harnesses and collars don’t think about things’ safety. They don’t think of things like, will it stop them from flying through the window during an accident? Will the clip break easily? There are many things you have to consider when it comes to buying for a pet. Most people look at a harness and think if it will be comfortable for them and if the colour will go, but at the end of the day, does this matter when it comes to our dog’s safety? You could even buy a stylish harness or collar, which allows you to buy something modern yet safe to use in the car.
We all love our pets and enjoy spoiling them like their our children. We love to spoil them with love and attention. One way we show this is with luxury products such as the dog beds available at PupsterPassion.com yet their safety should always come first. I know it’s tempting to let Fidonia run free in the backseat while you’re on the road, but if Fidonia were a child, you’d make sure she were strapped into a car seat before pulling out of the driveway, wouldn’t you? Our pets deserve the same treatment.
A couple of years ago, the Center for Pet Safety ran some tests on car restraints, and the results were (mostly) appalling. Now, CPS has partnered with Planet Earth’s pet-friendliest auto brand, Subaru, to run similar tests on crates and carriers.
The good news is, there are some very reliable products on the market. CPS’ top-performing crate for 2015 is the Gunner Kennels G1 Intermediate with 8′ Tie Down Straps, and there was a tie for top-performing carrier between the PetEgo Forma Frame Jet Set Carrier with ISOFIX-Latch Connection and the Sleepypod Mobile Pet Bed with PPRS Handilock. There are lots of options on the market so whether you need a heavy duty dog crate or a lightweight carrier, make sure you do your research and find one that’s reliable in these situations.
The bad news is, there are also some very crappy products being sold in America that do absolutely nothing for pets during collisions. For example, the Snoozer Roll Around:
Upon impact the test simulant [i.e. the dog dummy] launched out of the carrier. The stitching failed around the front mesh panel of the carrier.
With the claims of crash testing by the manufacturer, Center for Pet Safety reached out to Snoozer (via email and via phone call) to request test evidence. The manufacturer did not respond to either the email or the phone message left on the company president’s voicemail system. Center for Pet Safety did not offer a retest. Test evidence was not received from the manufacturer.
And here’s one for the Midwest Wire Kennel with Rubber Anchor Straps:
The wire crate slid forward directly into the seatback fixture. The crate was severely deformed on impact. The rubber straps fail to provide any protection to the crate, the dog or the human passengers in the case of an accident.
Ugh.
You can read the good and not-so-good news yourself. You’ll find CPS’ review of crates here, and the carrier results are here.
Note: The video above is from safety harness tests that CPS ran in 2013. For some reason, none of the new crate and carrier videos are embeddable. Which suggests that CPS may be great at testing products, but not so great at understanding how publicity works.