Yesterday was Pet Travel Safety Day, but we missed it. It didn’t bother us much because it should be a thing every day that you take your pet somewhere. As with people, vehicles, can be dangerous and you need to do your best to protect your furry friends. Cats need to be contained in a vehicle, but today we are focusing on dogs.
Let’s talk about safe ways to travel with your dog in a car. For starters there are a few really big DON’T DO ITEMS!
- We dogs love a good breeze but don’t let your dog hang their head out any vehicle windows. Not only is it bad for their eyes, it is down right dangerous. Would you ride around hanging out a car window, usually unrestrained?
- It doesn’t matter how old or young, big or small your dog is, restrain them! It is not cool to drive with your dog on your lap, it is a very bad idea!
- I can’t believe I even have to mention this, but never let a dog ride in the back of a pick up truck, especially unrestrained. Yes, we still see it now and then and it is so sad.
- Remember, an unsecured dog becomes a projectile in a crash as would an unrestrained adult or child. Whether you are driving a couple miles or a few hundred restrain, restrain, restrain your pets!
Restrain your dog in a travel safe kennel. We have Ruffland kennels which are built to withstand crashes, but don’t forget to secure it well in your vehicle. Soft sided, wire, or plastic crates with not withstand a crash, so spend some extra money for a safe car kennel.
Seat belts are what we usually have for traveling. Like kennels, not all seat belts are created equal, and honestly most of those on the market are not very safe. We all have AllSafe harnesses made in Germany, approved for the Autobahn where it is mandatory to restrain pets in vehicles. This one here is around twenty two years old and still going strong. They are made of seat belt fabric, steel clips, and half in thick padding. Cheap they are not, but safe and durable they are! We have one for puppies or small dogs, a medium, and a large. They attach to the babyseat attaching spot with more steel on steel.
As you can see, I can lie down, move around but the “leash” is short and I am safely buckled in. The AllSafe seat belts can be purchased here in the US too.
No matter how much you try to prevent accidents, they still can happen. Make sure you have information on your dogs in the car in the event you are incapacitated. Dogs can’t talk. They will be frightened. We purchased this safety tube which is always in our car fastened to the seat head rest with zip ties. We have information on us dogs, our human, our vet, and who to call in an emergency. All of us also are chipped, and have tags on our collars. You can never be too prepared.
One last thing. If you decide to fly with your dog, make sure and book one non-stop flight to your destination. Direct means there can be one or multiple stops, non-stop means one flight only. When flying, dogs are at the mercy of the airline. They can get loose, miss a connection, and so on. One non-stop flight, even if you have to drive a bit is well worth it. We will never fly. Katie and Emma had to fly to get to the US but it entailed a few hours driving to an airport and another five to get to the Twin Cities. For peace of mind, it was all worth it.
Have fun traveling with your dog and stay safe! You know we love to travel!
