Dogs are family members and we love taking them with us on our trips to friends, on dog-friendly days out, or on our summer vacation. Many drivers, however, don’t restrain their dogs in the car, because they simply aren’t aware of the risks.
Injuries in Accidents
Especially in an accident, this could be fatal – for the pet as well as for the people in the car. Not only can unrestrained dogs distract the driver and cause dangerous situations but, in an accident, they might be thrown about the cabin and suffer injuries such as broken bones, ruptured lungs, and trauma, according to Ann E. Hohenhaus, DVM, ACVIM at the Animal Medical Center in New York City. In addition, a 10-pound unrestrained dog in a car traveling 30 miles an hour will exert 300 pounds of force during a crash and cause severe head and spine injuries when hitting a person in the car.
Safety Items
These days, there’s a whole lot of safety equipment available in stores and online, and it’s not always easy to choose the right items for our pups. Therefore, I’m going to discuss various options of keeping our beloved pets safe when travelling in a car.
I’ve chosen eight different safety items and will discuss their advantages and disadvantages in individual posts. Here’s what I’m going to write about:
- car crate
- dog harness
- mesh partition between the front and passenger seat
- pet car seat
- leash and zip line
- dog seatbelt
- pet barrier between the back seats and the trunk.
- hammock
Before we actually start, I’d like to know if you restrain your dog in the car. If yes, what do you use? And if you’ve ever tried anything that just didn’t work, please let me know as well!
Pet Barrier - Life with Dogs & Kids Blog 