Dogs
Let's just jump right to present day with this dog-safe travel series. Currently I have a 9 1/2 lb. Papillon, Oliver, along with Tanner, a 70 lb. Golden Retriever--a wee bit of a change from the combination we talked about in Part I of this three-part series. Transportation issues change when you risk a large dog stepping on a small dog in the back seat, so we've taken precautions to protect little Oliver.
Since Oliver's inclination has always been to stay by my side (he is a 'companion' breed, after all), he's much happier when in the front seat. There are only a few safe options for this scenario; we picked a raised car seat, pictured above. While there are different types, mine is a model that has 3 straps attaching it to the seat, so there's a pretty fair backup system in place. An adjustable strap inside the seat area attaches to your dog's harness with a clip. This gives you the ability to decide how much he can move around inside the seat.
I liked the mesh sides of this model, as Oliver can lie down to rest, while still keeping me in sight. The front pocket provides a place to keep a few small toys, treats or waste bags for quick access.
In addition to the harness strap, the seat has sides (about 6-8" high) and strapping that blocks the car seat sides for dismounting, as these attach diagonally to the headrest. His only exit is up and out, or up and over the front of the car seat. If he were to make this jump, he'd likely end up on the floor of the car, so I highly recommend using the strap and clip at all times. Without it, it's a pretty long fall for a little guy, not to mention the windshield is not far away if a collision occurs.
If I have a human traveling companion, moving the car seat to the back is quick and easy. It truly takes just a minute or so to remove and reinstall it on the back seat. When traveling by highway, I continue to use a crate for Oliver, placing him in the back with Tanner. The crate gives Oliver protection from Tanner's brawn, as well as from being thrown, if an accident were to happen. Although his extremely light bodyweight may not break the car seat clip, I'm not willing to take that chance at highway speeds.
That about cover's Oliver's safe travel arrangements and how we manage passengers with him in a carseat. No problems whatsoever. I'll be back next week with the final edition of this 3-part series. Part III will tell you all about Tanner's crash-tested safety harness and belt. He's as safe in my car as you and I are in our seatbelts. Join me next time for an introduction to auto seat belts for dogs.
Related Reading:
Dog-Safe Travel, Part I
Be Smart. Ride Safe.
Want a car seat like Oliver's? Click his photo above or this link to take you to Pet Auto Safety. You can shop for your own styles and colors, and read up on the features of each type of restraint.If you'd prefer to come back later, you'll find Oliver's photo above as an advertisement in my sidebar for easy access to our supplier.
Follow All Things Dog at Twitter Find me at Facebook
© copyright Carrie Boyko, all rights reserved
Bookmark this on Delicious
- Pet Auto Safety Winners!
by Carrie Boyko, CEB © jb reader copyright Ralphie is Ready for Independence Day It's a wonderful Monday and I get to give out gifts. What could be more perfect? Especially when these are life-saving products that will make your driving and your...
- Pet Auto Safety Means No Loose Dogs Up Front!
by Carrie Boyko, CEB © AllThingsDogBlog.com Oliver in Crash-Tested Seat Belt Years ago I saw a woman nearly hit another car when she veered into another lane as her large dog bounded onto her lap to get a better look at the neighborhood passing him...
- Dog-safe Travel, Around Town And On The Highway, Part Iii Of Iii
by Carrie Boyko, CEB © Carrie Boyko Even with Back Seats Upright Tanner has Plenty of Space to Lie Down My friends at Pet Auto Safety have helped me provide Tanner a safe way to travel in my newer vehicle--a Prius. While traveling with...
- Dog-safe Travel, Around Town And On The Highway--part I Of Iii
by Carrie Boyko, CEB © courtesy K. Litz Pounce Travels Comfortably in his Crate Years ago when Xena was just a pup, I dutifully got her a doggie seatbelt. Xena wore her seatbelt in the back seat* for quite sometime until one day--one scary...
- Vehicle Safety And Your Dog
By Ruthie Bently For most of us, keeping our pets safe is as important to us as keeping our human kids safe is. Now we need to consider the same airbag safety issues we have for our kids, but apply them to our pets. Let me explain. I had always wanted...
Dogs
Dog-Safe Travel, Around Town and on the Highway--Part II of III
by Carrie Boyko, CEB Did you miss Part I? Click here
 |
| © Carrie Boyko Oliver Loves his Car Seat |
Since Oliver's inclination has always been to stay by my side (he is a 'companion' breed, after all), he's much happier when in the front seat. There are only a few safe options for this scenario; we picked a raised car seat, pictured above. While there are different types, mine is a model that has 3 straps attaching it to the seat, so there's a pretty fair backup system in place. An adjustable strap inside the seat area attaches to your dog's harness with a clip. This gives you the ability to decide how much he can move around inside the seat.
I liked the mesh sides of this model, as Oliver can lie down to rest, while still keeping me in sight. The front pocket provides a place to keep a few small toys, treats or waste bags for quick access.
In addition to the harness strap, the seat has sides (about 6-8" high) and strapping that blocks the car seat sides for dismounting, as these attach diagonally to the headrest. His only exit is up and out, or up and over the front of the car seat. If he were to make this jump, he'd likely end up on the floor of the car, so I highly recommend using the strap and clip at all times. Without it, it's a pretty long fall for a little guy, not to mention the windshield is not far away if a collision occurs.
If I have a human traveling companion, moving the car seat to the back is quick and easy. It truly takes just a minute or so to remove and reinstall it on the back seat. When traveling by highway, I continue to use a crate for Oliver, placing him in the back with Tanner. The crate gives Oliver protection from Tanner's brawn, as well as from being thrown, if an accident were to happen. Although his extremely light bodyweight may not break the car seat clip, I'm not willing to take that chance at highway speeds.
That about cover's Oliver's safe travel arrangements and how we manage passengers with him in a carseat. No problems whatsoever. I'll be back next week with the final edition of this 3-part series. Part III will tell you all about Tanner's crash-tested safety harness and belt. He's as safe in my car as you and I are in our seatbelts. Join me next time for an introduction to auto seat belts for dogs.
Related Reading:
Dog-Safe Travel, Part I
Be Smart. Ride Safe.
Want a car seat like Oliver's? Click his photo above or this link to take you to Pet Auto Safety. You can shop for your own styles and colors, and read up on the features of each type of restraint.If you'd prefer to come back later, you'll find Oliver's photo above as an advertisement in my sidebar for easy access to our supplier.
Visit Adopt a Dog Park
Help protect our precious dog parks
© Carrie Boyko, all rights reservedFollow All Things Dog at Twitter Find me at Facebook
© copyright Carrie Boyko, all rights reserved
Bookmark this on Delicious
- Pet Auto Safety Winners!
by Carrie Boyko, CEB © jb reader copyright Ralphie is Ready for Independence Day It's a wonderful Monday and I get to give out gifts. What could be more perfect? Especially when these are life-saving products that will make your driving and your...
- Pet Auto Safety Means No Loose Dogs Up Front!
by Carrie Boyko, CEB © AllThingsDogBlog.com Oliver in Crash-Tested Seat Belt Years ago I saw a woman nearly hit another car when she veered into another lane as her large dog bounded onto her lap to get a better look at the neighborhood passing him...
- Dog-safe Travel, Around Town And On The Highway, Part Iii Of Iii
by Carrie Boyko, CEB © Carrie Boyko Even with Back Seats Upright Tanner has Plenty of Space to Lie Down My friends at Pet Auto Safety have helped me provide Tanner a safe way to travel in my newer vehicle--a Prius. While traveling with...
- Dog-safe Travel, Around Town And On The Highway--part I Of Iii
by Carrie Boyko, CEB © courtesy K. Litz Pounce Travels Comfortably in his Crate Years ago when Xena was just a pup, I dutifully got her a doggie seatbelt. Xena wore her seatbelt in the back seat* for quite sometime until one day--one scary...
- Vehicle Safety And Your Dog
By Ruthie Bently For most of us, keeping our pets safe is as important to us as keeping our human kids safe is. Now we need to consider the same airbag safety issues we have for our kids, but apply them to our pets. Let me explain. I had always wanted...