 Dog Car Seats/Belts
#83477 - 08/29/2005 10:28 PM |
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Reg: 08-10-2005
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Loc: New York City
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Has anyone used these for car travel? I am about to drive 6 hours with my 12 week old puppy and have been advised to purchase one (with some guilt trip I might add). I have to rent a car and his crate would never fit.
Honestly though, I worry about him being trapped if I were to have an accident (G-d forbid). To me it's six of one and half a dozen of the other. Thoughts?
Elizabeth
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Re: Dog Car Seats/Belts
[Re: Elizabeth Van De Bogart ]
#83478 - 08/29/2005 10:41 PM |
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Reg: 06-13-2004
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Loc: Richmond Va
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rent a minivan, bungee the crate down
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Re: Dog Car Seats/Belts
[Re: Dennis Jones ]
#83479 - 08/29/2005 10:57 PM |
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Reg: 07-14-2005
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Loc: Wisconsin
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I tape emergency info sheets in the back windows on both sides of the car when I travel with animals for long trips.
They have the name, weight, rabies tag #, license #, emergency contact info, WHERE THE DOG IS IN THE VEHICLE, medication, name dose and how often the does, regular vet's name, clinic name and number, emergency/pager number and notes - like what you would leave for a boarding kennel.
Also the statement authorizing what care you would want provided - veterinary, boarding, cremation etc - and any care you do not want performed.
It sure makes me feel better! Depending on the dog I have used doggie seatbelts - not too impressed there - slam the leash in the door, small plastic travel crates (much smaller than their regular crates) and some dogs I've trained to sit directly behind the driver's seat, facing forward, with their legs braced and head turned to the side. (Hit the brakes a few times, they learn very fast).
I like the leash in the door best. In case of accident the dog won't fly through the windsheild and in case of an accident it is already leashed. If you think your dog could bite a rescuer if it were injured, I'd muzzle it with a light comfort muzzle or one of those mice wire basket muzzles that Leerburg sells.
Also keep in mind that I am extremely paranoid when it comes to safety and emergency plans. .... I have a large crate bolted the the foundation of my house, about four feet off the ground in case of severe weather. and ... whenever the storm siren goes off - even for a test, 2 dogs and 2 cats sit down in the crate for a hour or two - to make sure they don't freak out in a real emergency...
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Re: Dog Car Seats/Belts
[Re: Elizabeth Van De Bogart ]
#83480 - 08/29/2005 10:57 PM |
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Loc: St. Louis Mo
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If your renting a car, find a Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Matrix and, I think, the Chevy Eqinox. There all the same car. I just bought a new Vibe and it's the perfect one dog car. It has tracks in the back (with the seats down) that have a bag full of adjustable tiedowns and straps. My crate is held very securely, AND I get 32+mpg on the highway. Being a muscle car freak from the sixties, this four banger really kicks butt.
old dogs LOVE to learn new tricks |
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Re: Dog Car Seats/Belts
[Re: Elizabeth Van De Bogart ]
#83481 - 08/29/2005 11:52 PM |
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Reg: 11-15-2004
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Loc: Northwest PA
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I tried one. It didn't work the way I had hoped. I had always used a crate in the past for my Austrailian Cattle dog. The first five minutes of the trip was a constant attempt at running back and fourth...what's out this window?...what's out this window?...what's out window?...what's out this window? Then things got quite so I looked back. She had herself all wrapped up in the seatbelt. Around her neck three times, around her chest and two legs with one eye starting to buldge. We went back to the crate.
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Re: Dog Car Seats/Belts
[Re: Kevin Anundson ]
#83482 - 08/30/2005 03:41 AM |
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Reg: 11-20-2002
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Loc: Colorado
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I had a cattle dog, and no way would one of those silly things have even stayed on her. She definately would of ate it. She used to get so worked up from passing cars she would go after the seat belts that weren't even on her!
I am smarter than my dog, your just not. |
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Re: Dog Car Seats/Belts
[Re: Elizabeth Van De Bogart ]
#83483 - 08/30/2005 09:19 AM |
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Reg: 02-06-2005
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They do make a 'human grade' seatbelt for dogs. It fits as a harness and the vehicle seatbelt goes through a loop in the back of the harness. These will protect your dog as well as you are protected, assuming you purchase a decent one.
12 weeks is a good age to get your pup used to a seatbelt. I laid down a blanket and gave my pup a hoof to chew on. Now he is almost 8 months and still occassionally rides in a seatbelt, however is usually in a crate.
Personally I think the doggie seatbelt is the safest for the dog. Dogs get thrown around inside their crates during a wreck, and riding loose is just insanity. HOWEVER, the seatbelts are a major PITA. Difficult to get on the dogs and belted in, not as much freedom for the dogs to move...
From a recent experience here in Texas, I would prefer to have my dog contained inside the vehicle during a wreck as opposed to flying through a window and/or running loose on the countryside for 3 weeks.
I'm also thinking that a 12 week old pup should be able to ride in a smaller crate (200) that perhaps would fit inside your vehicle???
Good Luck
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Re: Dog Car Seats/Belts
[Re: Elizabeth Van De Bogart ]
#83484 - 08/30/2005 11:56 AM |
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Loc: Northwest PA
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I don't know what kind of crate you have, but usually the hardest part is getting it through the door so if you can take it apart and then put it back together in the car might help.
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Re: Dog Car Seats/Belts
[Re: Elizabeth Van De Bogart ]
#83485 - 08/30/2005 12:28 PM |
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Reg: 01-05-2004
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Loc: Bushkill, PA
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There are different grades and designs in dog safety belts. In the past 10 years, I've used 4 of them, with different results. By far and away, the one that worked best for my 3 dogs, is the Champion belt
Click here
Most comfortable for the dogs. Easy to put on. Heavy hardware that will hold in an accident. Wide webbing for comfort and safety.
The safest place in our vehicles is in the back seat. That's why we have to place infant/child car seats there. And a good dog belt also allows you to secure your dog in the same spot.
I think our greatest problems in an accident won't be having our dogs 'trapped' in the vehicle, so that isn't even a consideration for me. It's much more the concern they are flung thru the car to injure the people and themselves. Let alone if a door or window breaks and I'm safely belted in while my dog is now loose on the highway.
Seat belt specification camparison
Crates work well too to confine the dogs so they can't be a danger in the car, and limits how far they can be flung and injured. But the crates need to be securely tied down. And many of our vehicles won't fit a crate.
More info:
Why restrain your dog?
There are more reasons then you may think...
Prevent driver distraction. Protect your dog. This is the most important reason because it affects not just your vehicle's occupants, but potentially many others. Pets and loose objects are the 3rd worst in-car distraction according to a recent AAA study! They were considered worse then cell phone usage (#6), eating & drinking (#5) and adjusting climate controls (#4) (#1 is radio or CD player, #2 is children or others in car - Source: Extra Magazine telecast 8-20-01). During 2000 in the US more then 1.5 million accidents were caused by distracted driving! (Source: NBC Dateline telecast 6-19-01).
Protect your dog. Your dog deserves the same protection as you and your family... In a 30 mph. collision occupants of the vehicle can exert a force 20 times that of their body weight! Seat belts and harnesses protect by absorbing some of this force and distributing the load evenly across the stronger areas of the body, protecting the head, neck, and body from injury. A dog restraint that reduces this potential impact force can make the difference between life and death, and help prevent serious injury. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that:
seat belts are the "most effective means of reducing fatalities and serious injuries when traffic crashes occur"
"3/4 of occupants who are ejected from passenger cars are killed"
inpatient hospital charges are on average $5,000 higher for non belted occupants
Protect yourself, your family, and other passengers in your vehicle. In an accident, a dog can be thrown with hundreds or even thousands of pounds of force into other occupants of the vehicle, easily causing life threatening injuries. A good restraint system can help minimize this danger.
Make it easier for rescue workers and EMTs to help in the event of an accident . A dog that has been in an accident is likely to be shocked, confused, injured, and protective. It does not understand what has happened and may attack people or rescue workers indiscriminately and without additional provocation. Your dog may think that people who come to help you actually caused the accident and are now coming to attack again! Police officers have told us that they have shot dogs when in this situation.
Prevent runaways and daring escapes! Even well behaved dogs can have their moments of "distraction". Far from home or on vacation is the worst place to lose your dog. Dogs can also get injured or killed jumping from even a slow moving vehicle.
Convenience. It is easier to restrain your dog then to worry and guard against escape every time a window or door is opened! This also means you may be able to leave some windows open for ventilation
Intelligent dogs rarely want to please people whom they do not respect --- W.R. Koehler |
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Re: Dog Car Seats/Belts
[Re: Jenn Kavanaugh ]
#83486 - 08/30/2005 04:48 PM |
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Reg: 03-15-2004
Posts: 47
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I second the recommendation for Champion harnesses. Once adjusted, they are very easy to put on and take off and they can be used with any seatbelt (or at least any seatbelt in one of my vehicles). The strap that connects them to the seatbelt is easily moved from one vehicle to another.
My dogs seem to find them comfortable, and they seem secure. Caveat: We haven't been in an accident (yet), so I can't tell any dramatic tales of success or failure.
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