We all love our dogs so much that it tears us up when we lose them. I have lost 3 dogs, 2 to cancer and one to a hairball. There was nothing I could do about it, but I can protect them when they travel with me in a car.
My dogs LOVE to ride in the car, I think most dogs do. It’s like we’re going on a great hunt as a pack, which is how it works in the wild, and on days I don’t take them they probably feel punished for being excluded, they certainly let me know that they don’t appreciate having to stay home. So I take them with me as often as possible, and seat belts are not optional.
We use a sturdy harness (top paw easy rider) made from the same material seat belts for humans are made of and it has a very sturdy buckle. The harness has a loop in the back and the car’s seat belt threads through that loop. This has the benefit of giving the dog a little play and comfort during the trip, but it locks in case of an accident.
Unfortunately, there are currently no standards for dog seat belts. The first one I bought from one of the big pet store chains broke the first time I used it. The dog forgot that he was strapped in, tried to jump out of the car when we got home and the small buckle that held the harness in place around the dog broke. I’m sure that the stress of the dog trying to jump out was not nearly as strong of the g-force of an accident.
There is an organization that has done some testing, ”CenterforPetSafety.org”. Even without safety standards, and I believe a seat belt with a harness will be better than no protection. I would think it would be better than a crate as the dog can slam into the crate’s wall and get hurt. Make sure the harness is on tight enough so the dog can’t slide out.
Of course, if the dog had a choice he’d prefer not to wear the harness, my dogs weren’t thrilled the first couple of times I put them in the harness, but after a few outings, we’ve managed to weave it into the excitement that arises when they realize they get to go for a ride. We put the harness on before we go, so it is part of the fun of the prepping for the outing.
The reasons for the seat belt are not only to keep the dog from going through the windshield. There have been many cases where the dog survived the initial impact but then got out of the car when emergency personnel opened the car, and either ran away or got hit by another car, or they can scare the emergency personnel trying to get into the car to help.
We’d love to hear from you, if you have any thoughts or experience with this.