To those with dogs (plz read)
Those with dogs (esp small dogs) who travel with them a lot:
Do you use any sort of safety device in the car? I take Turtle (my dog) with me all the time, and I keep thinking now (after my recent accident) how completely horrible it would have been if she were in my car like she so often is. I'm sure she would have died or at least been badly injured. I m...ean, my metal make-up case has a dent in it and it only hit the driver seat (it was in the back).
and FTR she's 6.66 lbs.
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
I travel with my cats, and I keep them in a sort of cage.
http://www.doggiesolutions.co.uk/ima...r-Cage-opt.jpg
A little like this? It locks into the seatbelts.
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
Yeah, a high quality crate belted in is your safest option. I know how you feel, I have a large dog and a small car, so he travels loose with me. A few years ago I was in an accident which totaled my car, and it would have been horrible if my dog had been in the car with me.
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
I had one of these (well, wasn't this brand name, but same concept) when I drove cross-country with my two mini poodles a few years ago.
http://www.ruffrider.com/shop/product/2.html
Gave me peace of mind.
.
I'm glad to hear your doggie wasn't in the car with you that day! Hope you're doing alright!
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
see, I've read a lot of debate on belted crates VS harnesses...
Some sites say that belted crates are just as bad if not worse that nothing because the dog hits the inside of the crate at such a speed that it still injures the dog and sometimes the crate even "explodes" from the force of the animal hitting it.. and thusly the animal goes flying out anyway.
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
Yes Penny, its a worry I have constantly. I always travel with my chihuahua, she's my baby and my whole world. She's an amazing in the car because she just lies on my lap and I don't notice her at all and we can do errands all day. BUT I am terrified of getting in the smallest accident with her and my air bags going off and killing her. Over some dumb ass shit. I know I should have her buckled into a harness in the back, but she would FREAK. She absolutely hates being around me and not on my lap. I just don't know if its worth it to put both of us through to torture for something that is very likely to not happen. But if it did... I just don't know!!
:crying:
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
^trust me, that thought was always in the back of my mind, but it never really grasped me until now. Especially when considering the front seat. I'm pretty beat up over the airbag impact and Im 130 lbs. I can't imagine what my 6.66 lb dog would go through (if she made it). They say it deploys at about 140 MPH. I've also heard it described as the "force of a shotgun".
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pretty_Penny
see, I've read a lot of debate on belted crates VS harnesses...
Some sites say that belted crates are just as bad if not worse that nothing because the dog hits the inside of the crate at such a speed that it still injures the dog and sometimes the crate even "explodes" from the force of the animal hitting it.. and thusly the animal goes flying out anyway.
I've never read about this, but I assumed it might happen. I mean, what if the car were to roll? The dog would just be bouncing around a wire crate - probably better than bouncing around a car, but still....something about the harness just seems safer to me. Perhaps it's becasue it's more like a human seatbelt, and I trust those to work...
6.6 lbs is pretty teeny tiney - is your dog a chihuahua?
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
^it's actually not as little as you think. I mean she's small but she's nowhere near as tiny as some dogs. She's 1/2 yorkie 1/2 chihuahua.
this is her pouting at me while laying on my purse (in my car... pre accident obviously.. since its totaled now)
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._2816407_n.jpg
she's really a happy rough-playing dog, she just gets sad-faced when I'm not paying attention to her. lol
and no I wasn't driving while taking that. ;)
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
and for the hell of it, some "action shots" of her playing with a hose. heh <3
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs241...._1312770_n.jpg
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
Yeah, the harnesses seem like a pretty good option as well. It's a tough call though. I researched it a while ago, and remember deciding that my next vehicle will be an SUV with enough room for 2 German Shepherd sized crates to be secured in the back.
ETA: Cute dog!!!!
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
I have a 6lb Pomeranian and he travels in the car with me. I got him a soft carrier so if there was a crash he would just be slammed into something soft rather than a hard metal gate or a hard side of a crate. I also looped a collar around the back so I can just buckle it right into a seat belt in the back seat so he wouldnt go flying around the car during a crash. The carrier looks kind of like this:
http://www.petco.com/Assets/product_...723555333C.jpg
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
Penny! Your dog is adorable! I've never seen a mix of a Yorkie and a Chihuahua before, but Turtle is a cutie, even when she pouts! D'awww...
And that carrier seems like a good idea too.
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
I have a 75 lb German Shepherd that usually rides shotgun with me (sans seatbelt).
You have definitely given me "paws" for thought. :-\
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
Maybe you can get a cage you can secure with a seat-belt, like sxcbbw mentioned, and put a pillow or cushion on the side facing forward.
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
I used to put my dog in a harness and it had a clip that could be used to seat belt him into the car. He was a great dane and weighed 65 kilograms.
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
lopaw
I have a 75 lb German Shepherd that usually rides shotgun with me (sans seatbelt).
You have definitely given me "paws" for thought. :-\
Not to worry you more, but there are also a good deal of stories about how the dog becomes a fast moving heavy object which can also hurt -you-. I read a story written by a woman who had 3 big dogs in her car when she got in a bad accident and she was hit by one of them when it went flying across the car.
Also, -if- you are ever in a really bad accident and you're somehow knocked out (which is a stretch, I know, but it happens) the paramedics/cops arent going to worry about your unleashed dog running into traffic when they open your doors.
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
dawnfire90
I have a 6lb Pomeranian and he travels in the car with me. I got him a soft carrier so if there was a crash he would just be slammed into something soft rather than a hard metal gate or a hard side of a crate. I also looped a collar around the back so I can just buckle it right into a seat belt in the back seat so he wouldnt go flying around the car during a crash. The carrier looks kind of like this:
http://www.petco.com/Assets/product_...723555333C.jpg
how does your dog react to this? does he cry the whole time or has he gotten over that or did he never even have a problem?
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
My cat doesnt travel with me unless we're going to the vet, which is a 2 mile trip on a one lane road with a speed limit of 35mph the whole way, so dont use any safety retraints.
I did wanna comment on the name of ur dog. Thats cute. I was wondering how U trvel with ur TURTLE. hehe cute
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
I've also found that its safer for the dog to have them in the footwell (on the floor where your feet would go, but in the backseat or passenger side of course) instead of on the seat. Much less impact if you have to brake hard and no danger of them falling off the seat.
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
If your dog's that small (and by "that small" I mean smaller than my husky XD), I'd recommend what I got for my cat- a booster seat. It gets her high enough that she's not going to be smothered by my air bags if they deploy and it has a clasp so you can attach your pet's harness to it. And, having had to slam on the breaks, I can attest, it's way better than just a seat belt for her size.
(For the fifty pound husky, though, I don't get much choice. ;))
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
I would take him with more often if I didn't worry about this....
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
Its actually illegal in NSW Australia to have an unrestrained dog in a car. If a dog is injured in an accident because they were unrestrained you face 6 months in jail and a $5500 fine. Awesome eh? http://www.smh.com.au/national/polic...1024-he0j.html
That being said I don't have harnesses for mine. My shih tzu crosses cry and cry and cry even while they are on my lap. They hate the car. The only time they are in it though is to go to the vet or my in-laws place. I think I better get a harness for them though.
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
Yeah, thats a pretty big fine for dog!!! ^^
Re: To those with dogs (plz read)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
dawnfire90
I have a 6lb Pomeranian and he travels in the car with me. I got him a soft carrier so if there was a crash he would just be slammed into something soft rather than a hard metal gate or a hard side of a crate. I also looped a collar around the back so I can just buckle it right into a seat belt in the back seat so he wouldnt go flying around the car during a crash. The carrier looks kind of like this:
http://www.petco.com/Assets/product_...723555333C.jpg
I use one of those for my cat, Pantera. He's about 15 1/2 lbs. (See avatar). But he likes to roam around usually sleeping on the floor in back of the driver seat. I guess I should keep him in his padded carrier. I feel so bad when he starts poking his big head through the roof of the carrier. But better a pissed pussy than a hurt or dead one.