Archive for the ‘Dog Seat Belts’ Category
Dog Seat Belts-Car Safety For Your Dog
As a member of the family your dog should be afforded the same precautions that all of your family members are provided when riding in the car. A dog seat belt is not only something you should consider for your pet’s safety, but for anyone else who happens to be in the car if you should be in an accident.
An unrestrained dog in a motor vehicle that is involved in an accident will become a flying projectile capable of causing serious injury or death to himself and anyone that happens to be in his line of flight.
A dog seat belt will help protect your dog and other occupants in the car in the unfortunate event of an accident. A dog harness with a car control strap that connects to your regular seat belt straps will provide added safety for everyone in the vehicle. If your dog is over active dog in the car, it might even prevent an accident.
If you factor in the safety of your dog and everyone else in the car, a dog seat belt is well worth the investment.
Are You Putting Your Dog In Danger When Riding In The Car
When you take your dog for rides in the car are you putting him in unnecessary danger? I see it all the time-a rolled down car window with a dog sticking his head out of it. How safe is it to let your dog do that?
This is one of the most dangerous behaviors you can permit your dog to engage in while in the car. If you are in an accident, your dog is in the perfect position to break his neck, even if it is not a serious accident.
Putting the accident scenario aside for a minute, lets look at the other dangers involved. Lets say you are driving down the road and an animal or child runs out in front of your car. The sudden breaking action could cause serious injury to your dog. And if you swerve at the same time, you could easily come so close to a mailbox, a parked car or an on coming car that your dogs head could impact. The results would be devastating.
I have one more concern for you to think about. How many times have you been driving down the road when the vehicle in front of you has kicked up a stone or some other debris that is in the road and it has hit your car? Maybe it even broke your windshield. Think of what that would do to your dog if it hit him instead of your car. Even if it is just smaller particles of dirt and debris, you could be risking your dogs eye sight.
Like a child, your dog does not always know what is best for him. Just because he likes the wind in his face when he is enjoying a car ride does not mean that is the safest choice for him. Restrain your dog with a dog seat belt. If you want to roll the window down for him, only roll it down an inch or two. Do not roll it down so far that he can stick his head out.
Your dog’s safety is your responsibility. Take it seriously.
Dog Seat Belts
There are laws in all 50 states requiring people to where seat belts in their cars. When in a car accident, the number 1 contributing factor in fatalities is failure to wear a seat belt. Statistics show that 63% of people killed in car accidents were unrestrained.
Unfortunately, there are no laws regarding dogs wearing car seat belts and I was unable to find any statistics on car accidents that involved dog fatalities. I can only imagine that statistics regarding unrestrained dogs must must parallel those of their humane counter parts.
Most pet owners consider their dog a part of the family, yet they fail to take the same precautions they do with other members of the family. Nobody plans for an accident but they happen all the time. Wouldn’t you want your dog to be as safe as the rest of the family?
Here are three good reasons for restraining your dog in the car.
- A dog seat belt could save your dog’s life. A dog seat belt can prevent your dog from being thrown from the car when an accident occurs .
- Restraining your dog in the car could prevent an accident from occurring. How many times have you been out on the road and seen a car with an unrestrained dog bouncing from the back seat to the front seat or even seen the dog jump on the driver’s lap. You cannot focus your full attention on your driving if you have to try to keep your dog under control also. You are not only risking your life, you are risking the lives of other people on the road too.
- Your unrestrained dog will become a “flying missile” at the moment of impact and could easily cause serious injuries to anyone in the car who is seat belted in.
Putting a seat belt on your dog should be as automatic as putting your own seat belt on. A dog car harness is a small investment for the safety it provides for you and your dog.
4 Things You Should Do When Taking Your Dog For A Ride In The Car
Until I had seen an accident on the expressway with a dog in the car, I hadn’t really thought a whole lot about my safety or the dog’s. Of course I always wore a seat belt but I did nothing to restrain my dog. When the accident occurred, one of the doors popped opened. The dog was scared and took off running right down the middle of the road. Luckily, the drivers behind the accident saw what had happened and did catch the dog before it was hit by a car. This accident really opened my eyes to the dangers of leaving a dog unrestrained in your car. Here are four tips to make your car rides safer for you and your dog.
- Always make sure your dog has up to date identification on his collar or harness. Whether your dog is in the car, on a leash, or you are just letting him out the back door to do his thing, this one simple precaution could mean the difference between getting your dog back or not ever seeing him again.
- Always restrain your dog in the car. A dog seat belt serves several purposes while in the car. It will prevent the dog from interfering with your driving and possibly causing an accident. It will obviously prevent the dog from getting thrown around in the car causing unnecessary injuries to you and your dog if there is an accident. And lastly, it will keep your frightened dog restrained until someone can safely remove him from the car after an accident.
- Secure leashes to a place you can easily reach in case of an emergency. If you are in an accident, anything that is loose in the car will fly around. Either leave a leash clipped to your dog’s collar or secure it in a place you can reach if you have to.
- Carry detailed emergency instructions for your dogs. Should you become incapacitated due to an accident, will rescue workers know what to do with your dogs? Attach this information to each dog’s crate, car seat or dog seat belt.
Information to include:
- Does your dog require any medication
- Does your dog have any known allergies to medication
- A release and payment assurance for emergency veterinary treatment
- A phone number of someone to contact to get the dog if he is not injured.
The Importance Of Dog Seat Belts-Part 2
When taking your dog for a ride in the car, it is just as important to put your dog in a seat belt as it is for you. So why do loving, caring and responsible dog owners gamble? Some will say, “But he loves running from window to window” or “He just loves sitting in my lap”. It takes less than 500 milliseconds at 30 mph for your pet to go from happiness to tragedy, from “he loves it” to “I wish I had used a dog seat belt”.
When you buy a dog car harness for your dog, make sure to ask if it is designed to hold in a crash. Most dog seat belts are designed to restrict movement under normal driving conditions. If your seat belt is not short enough it will not prevent your dog from crashing into the front seats. Make sure that the dog seat belt in secured according to manufacture guidelines and that it is neither too loose nor too tight.
So take your pampered pet with you when you go for a drive but make sure that they have the same protection you would use on yourself or your children. Seat belts are for everyone. Use them all the time, every time.
Dog Seat Belt-Don’t Make A Bad Situation Worse
Part One In A Two Part Series
It is the law in many states that you need to wear a seat belt when driving or riding in a moving vehicle. That is, it’s the law for humans, but what about dogs? If a seat belt helps protect you and your passengers from being thrown around inside the car should you be in an accident, shouldn’t your best friend wear a dog seat belt? Don’t they need to be protected from being thrown around too?
Every week there are reports about rollover accidents in which one or more passengers were thrown from the car and killed because they were not wearing their seat belts. There are no statistics keeping track of the dogs being killed in crashes like that, but an unrestrained dog would face no better end than an unrestrained human.
The law of physics does not differentiate between humans, dogs or grocery bags. Anything that is loose in your car will multiply its weight by 30. Do the math, a small dog, weighing just 13 pounds, in a 30 mph crash will become a 396 pound missile and a 70 pound dog will be 2112 pounds of flying dog! Not only is it a danger to the dog, just think of the injuries a child or any person seat belted in the car would sustain should your “flying dog” hit them. Protect your dog and your family with a dog seat belt.