Are You Keeping Your Dog Safe In The Car?

I drive over 50,000 miles/year and because I have a lot of windshield time I see a lot of things happening.  One of the things that makes me crazy is seeing a dog on an owner’s lap or a dog with its head out the window.  On the driver’s lap could mean the dog is in front of an airbag that will deploy at 200 mph or it could fly out the window when you turn or an accident happens.  You won’t have time to pick the dog up and set it somewhere else in the car. Even if you don’t have an accident, petting the dog, talking to the dog and sometimes feeding the dog (hamburgers and french fries) is a dangerous distracted driving practice.  This blog will hopefully get you thinking of your dog’s safety in the car.

Nils Bohlin, an engineer at Volvo, invented the three-point seat belt in 1959.  Usually an invention comes about because something has happened.  My guess is that way too many needless deaths or permanent injuries had occurred.  That was 70 years ago and keeping your dog safe in the car seems like such a natural thing for owners to check off the list when they purchase their dog, but yet it’s not happening. 

Many dog owners think of their dogs as part of their family.  My sister refers to her dog Buddy as her favorite child. She has two other kids but guess what?  On the wall with their graduation photos is an 8×10 of Buddy, in between the kids! I encourage people to come alongside me and realize the car is not another playground for their dog.  Being in the car shouldn’t be the destination for the fun. That should happen at the park or out for your walk.

Now the ‘crazy’ part…since we started keeping people safer in cars 70 years ago, why do we not do the same for our dogs?  I want to think that it is only because there hasn’t been enough education and awareness of the necessity to either order your vehicle with equipment that creates a secure place in the car or purchase a product (harness or crate) to put the dog in when going with you.

Simply put, your dog deserves to be kept as safe as you.  They trust you to keep their best interest in mind when you ask them to come along for the ride. If you agree with me, then your next step is to purchase the proper equipment to provide that safety.  Start by going to the Center for Pet Safety’s website and reading about their test results for harnesses, carriers and crates.  I am so impressed with their testing and admire that they do independent testing and don’t endorse any products.  They recommend that buyers adopt a ‘buyer be ware’ attitude when shopping and I couldn’t agree more. Especially when I see things like booster seats, hammocks, or worse, nothing at all.  YIKES!

I also do not endorse any products and have done my own ‘independent study’ of sorts to find the crates that work best for our dogs.  Things that I look for are proper size so the dog can be comfortable, enough room for a water dish, secure in vehicle and easy to access when entering and exiting.  

Does this information get you thinking about your dog’s safety in the car?  I hope it does and I also hope you take the next step to find the right product for your dog.  Safety first, petting later.

All The Best,

Julie