Seat belts

[Hobo]

Hi,

 

This is my first post, though I've been lurking for a bit more than a year. This board been a valuable resource for dealing with my BC!

 

When we take him out to the car, we have always just stuck him in the backseat, but he gets really anxious in anticipation of the destination (I don't think he has a problem with the car itself) so he's often walking around on the back seats unless we constantly remind him to lay down.

 

Anyway, I was wondering if any of you use seat belts for your dogs, and if so, any recommendations? Currently we are considering Sleepypod utility harnesses. He does not like kennel type crates, and even if he did, my car can't fit a crate large enough to fit him anyway.

 

Thanks!

[nancy]

We used a harness for 15 years with Fergie. And we are now into our 3rd year of using it with Dixie. The dog can sit, stand, lie down, look out the side and back windows, and even nudge your shoulder. But, in an accident, the dog is secure and safe.

 

My kids (who are now in their 40s) taught me that the car doesn't start until every passenger is buckled in. That was because I failed their test. My excuse was that I grew up before seatbelts. They allowed as how I must be too old if I was too old to learn. So I follow their rule. And a dog is a passenger.

[gcv-border]

I would do some searching online to find the most effective (safest) dog seatbelt. [Not all seatbelts are created equal.] I have even seen a site or two that show results from crash testing - i.e. they video how well a seat belt contains a fake dog in an accident. You might also want to check the Subaru website since they may also have information on an appropriate seatbelt for keeping your dog safe.

[moosikins]

We make sure that Cal has a chest harness on (if it's just her collar, we skip the seatbelt because I don't want to strangle her or damage her throat) and then we just have a short leash type thing that's about a foot and a half long (just long enough for her to stand up and change positions) that clips into the seatbelt latch.

 

It's simple, easy to use, easy to move between cars, and prevents her from flying off the seat if we brake suddenly. I don't know how much it would help if we were to get rear-ended, though I think it would prevent her from falling off the seat or being propelled into the windows.

[geonni banner]

found this...

 

Seatbelts for pets have a 100 percent failure rate in crash tests

Sunday, June 30, 2013 by: J. D. Heyes

(NaturalNews) It may sound like nonsense to some of you, but there are those who travel with their pets and in doing so would like to keep them safe when they are on the road.

Some innovative companies have honed in on this consumer "need" and have been working on products designed to lower risks to pets when traveling, particularly in automobiles. One such innovation is called a dog harness.

Only, so far anyway, none of the dog harnesses widely used by pet owners can withstand crash testing; all of them have failed miserably, according to recent reports. From CBSMiami:

A first-of-its-kind crash test for dog harnesses widely used by pet owners showed that none offer adequate protection, with not a single harness passing the test. The non-profit Center for Pet Safety (CPS) said during its harness tests, crash-test dog dummies turned into projectiles and were even decapitated.

Not a good start for a product designed to protect your pet.

Something is better than nothing?

"We tested them to the child safety restraint standard and we experienced a 100 percent failure rate to protect either the consumer or the dog," CPS founder and CEO Lindsey Wolko told My33, the local CBS affiliate. "That is a very real concern for consumers."

Indeed.

CPS did not disclose which harnesses it tested over fears that even fewer people would secure their pets while riding in automobiles.

But then again, if the harnesses it tested were ineffective, what would be the point of trying to secure them?

Well, Wolko says that, though some harness makers claim to do their own testing, there's no government standard. That, she says, leads to an unregulated industry that can be dangerous for drivers (personally I was shocked that any "industry" in the U.S. remained unregulated, but that's just me).

Some veterinarians are coming down on the side of "a little protection is better than no protection," or, at least, the "appearance" of protection. One of them is Dr. Kim Haddad, who has treated pets that have sustained injuries in motor vehicle accidents.

"Broken legs, broken jaws, soft tissue injury, it can be pretty traumatic," Haddad told My33.

Still, while injuries can be far worse for pets whose owners allow them to roam inside vehicles freely, just using a harness isn't good enough either. And, in some cases, harnesses can prove to be just as lethal as getting thrown around a vehicle during an accident.

"Something is better than nothing, but again, it is only going to be as good as the manufacturer, the fit and the user application of the product," Haddad said.

Some states require you to secure your pet

Not surprisingly, there is an organization - in this case the American Automobile Association (AAA) - that has researched the issue of pets riding free in vehicles. AAA says 20 percent of dog owners have admitted allowing their pets ride unrestrained. No word on whether these same owners had heard of the failure of dog harnesses to protect their pets.

A few states currently require drivers to secure their pets in their vehicles, and others are considering new laws preventing motor vehicle operators from driving distracted (a pet in your lap would qualify). But CPS is concerned that, in light of its tests, such laws might give pet owners a false sense of security; they might assume, for example, that because a law requires harnesses that they, in turn, meet some sort of safety standard.

Now, in light of that possibility, CPS says it wants to see standardized testing that is similar to that conducted for child safety seats. The group also says it would like for legislators to educate themselves on pet harness safety standards before actually passing laws that would require restraints.

Sources for this article include:

http://miami.cbslocal.com

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=274

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com

 

Things may have gotten better since then, but I doubt it.

[RemsMom]

Here the link to the CPS crash test videos.

 

http://www.centerforpetsafety.org/test-results/harnesses/2013-harness-crash-test-videos/

[nancy]

In the crash tests, I notice that a big difference in safety seems to be the length of the strap to which the seat belt attaches. Dixie's is quite short, but I may just stitch it shorter. I do know that the seat belt catches fast. Because it makes it hard for me to get her in and attached.

 

I am sensitive to this whole thing because my kids rode in harnesses back in the late 60s and the 70s. The only car seats hung over the passenger seat - and most had plastic steering wheels. I harnessed the kids in as infants. They could lie down - lots of pillows. As they grew, they could sit, stand, or lie down. We had a VW van: oldest kid in the middle seat with the dog; younger 2 in the back - harnessed in opposite corners with pillows in between. Kept the fighting to, "He's breathing my air!"

[D'Elle]

I use seat belt harness for my small dogs when we are traveling in town. I figure that at slow speeds it will keep them from sliding off the seat into the dashboard if I stop suddenly, and it has worked for that a few times. But if I am on the highway going out of town I prefer a crate. the dogs don't like it much, but I think it is safer.

[Chan]

The sleepy pod utility and sport harnesses both passed the crash test and are recommended by the CPS.

 

A word of warning though. The utility is very restrictive and can be hard to get the dog fastened in. Because of the reviews I read I ordered the sport. It is still quite restrictive when fastened correctly because you actually thread the seat belt through the loops on the harness that the dog is wearing. If they are sitting when you attach the seat belt they can lie down but once lying down it is difficult for them to sit back up (without getting twisted or tangled) because the seat belt has retracted to fit them lying down. Because of that it seems like a very safe device - safer in fact than crates because they aren't going to move from position once the seat belt locks.

 

My dog really doesn't like the seat belt and occasionally I will use a tether to attach to his harness and then attach that to the seatbelt. It allows him a little more range of motion but I know it isn't as safe because he would have room to be tossed about even if the seat belt locked in a crash.

 

It seems I read somewhere that if you use a seatbelt that has a tether you don't want it to be any longer than 12", and maybe more like 6".

 

My husband reminds me often that there is always a risk-benefit ratio and each person has to evaluate that for themselves.

[Hobo]

Thanks for the input and links everybody. Very good read.

 

Yes, the reason we were thinking of the sleepy pod harnesses was because they passed the tests and are endorsed by the CPS. We previously had tried a clip that buckled in and attached to his regular back clip harness, but he always managed to wrap the thing around himself even if it was kept just short enough to let him stand.

 

The sport harness seems to be the best bet for him so far; it looks like it offers a wide range of motion while still keeping the dog secure.

[alligande]

I have this harness http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm/product/3577/allsafe-car-safety-harness.htm it is also crashed tested it does not rate as highly as the sleepypod but for the long trips we did last year I was very concerned about the restrictive nature of the sleepypod. It is a bit of a pain to get on and off, it does not clips so you have to thread the straps, my dog is very patient but I could see it being a struggle with wiggling ones. It is very heavy duty and strongly constructed.

[moosikins]

Ugh, this is what my nightmares are made of...Losing my dog in this way (don't even get me started on the anxiety surrounding the baby)...We don't have room for a crate. Anyone know of any harnesses that have been proven to work at least to minimize injury?

 

I hate hate hate how inattentively people drive nowadays.

[ourwully]

One thing to remember about any of the seatbelts is that they keep the dog in the car after a crash so they can't run away. Recently there was a crash in my area where the driver was taken to the hospital and the dog ran away. Fortunately they found the dog a few days later.

[TxMom]

Ugh, this is what my nightmares are made of...Losing my dog in this way (don't even get me started on the anxiety surrounding the baby)...We don't have room for a crate. Anyone know of any harnesses that have been proven to work at least to minimize injury?

 

I would love to hear any solutions for that too. Most of the time we have room for a crate. But when we get our dog I'd like to be able to bring him or her along on camping trips, and by the time we load up the car with two adults, three kids, and all the requisite camping gear, there's definitely not room for a crate. I think we'd be able to take a folded wire crate for use at the destination, but we'd need to have a way to keep the dog safe in transit. Plan B is to leave the dog with our good friends down the street, but it seems like a shame to leave the dog behind on a camping trip.

[Gloria Atwater]

One thing to remember about any of the seatbelts is that they keep the dog in the car after a crash so they can't run away. Recently there was a crash in my area where the driver was taken to the hospital and the dog ran away. Fortunately they found the dog a few days later.

 

 

That's my thought, the times I use a seatbelt harness. Few things will save a pet when its vehicle is T-boned by a speeding Dodge pickup going 60 through a red light, but for non-lethal accidents? I think a harness can be highly valuable in the event of those fender-benders that make the air bag go off and the cops show up, but don't send anyone to the hospital. I've been in two accidents from which I was able to drive away, but if my dogs had been loose in the cab, they might have ended up out on the highway.

 

The same thought goes for the crates I have tied down back in my camper shell. If I get plowed by a Peterbilt, or go off a 30 foot embankment, odds are we're all goners. But if I hit a patch of black ice or get rear-ended by a sleepy driver at Starbucks, that crate or seat belt may be the difference between my dog remaining shaken but safe inside the vehicle or leaping out a shattered window into traffic.

 

A friend of mine recently had a tire blow out on his pickup. The truck hit the guard rail, flipped onto its side and slid many yards down the pavement. However, because his dog was tethered, she survived with nothing but some bruises and a little broken glass in her face.

 

I'm a firm believer in something being better than nothing.

 

Oh, and I have a Kurgo harness for the front seat. Am contemplating upgrading to a couple of Ruff Tough crates for the back of the truck.

 

~ Gloria

 

 

[alligande]

Ugh, this is what my nightmares are made of...Losing my dog in this way (don't even get me started on the anxiety surrounding the baby)...We don't have room for a crate. Anyone know of any harnesses that have been proven to work at least to minimize injury?

 

I hate hate hate how inattentively people drive nowadays.

Check out the harness I linked to above, it has been through crash testing and is heavily padded. My dog wore it to drive from the UK to Spain and back and he was fine with. The only problem with it is that it is a bit of a pain to put on because it does not have buckles and so he often doesn't wear it for short trips.

[moosikins]

[...]I have a Kurgo harness for the front seat. Am contemplating upgrading to a couple of Ruff Tough crates for the back of the truck.

 

~ Gloria

 

 

 

I have always heard to make sure that the dog doesn't sit in the front seat because of the airbag unless you can turn it off. I don't believe I can in my car (it turns on when there's weight in the seat, and Cal at 43 lb is just heavy enough to trigger it). I also want her as far away from the windshield as possible.

 

Edit: Gloria, did you see this link about 2013 crash tests? The Kurgo harness failed! Not sure if this is the one you have, but thought you may want to be aware that this exists. http://www.centerforpetsafety.org/test-results/harnesses/2013-harness-crash-test-videos/

 

@alligande: Will do, thanks! Missed the link before from speed reading.

[moosikins]

@alligande: Ohmygoodness, expensive harness. Going to have to save up for this one since we drive on the turnpike to visit family in another state pretty frequently. Especially in the winter, it gets dangerous.

[alligande]

Mooskins, I had to check my clean run account to see what I paid! It is really well built, very different construction to a regular walking harness, this is not a multi purpose harness, although we left it on him during the day when travelling. My dog is a pretty big boy for a border collie and a crate was not an option for us, he would take the entire cargo area of the car and we were travelling with stuff and it is the law that he is restrained in Spain.

[Gloria Atwater]

I have always heard to make sure that the dog doesn't sit in the front seat because of the airbag unless you can turn it off. I don't believe I can in my car (it turns on when there's weight in the seat, and Cal at 43 lb is just heavy enough to trigger it). I also want her as far away from the windshield as possible.

 

Edit: Gloria, did you see this link about 2013 crash tests? The Kurgo harness failed! Not sure if this is the one you have, but thought you may want to be aware that this exists. http://www.centerforpetsafety.org/test-results/harnesses/2013-harness-crash-test-videos/

 

 

I hadn't seen that particular video, but I'm aware of them. I don't know if that's the same harness I have and the strap attaching it looks longer than mine, but ... Does it say anywhere how fast these impacts were? As I think I said earlier, I don't expect miracles or survivability in the event of a catastrophic accident. But for the average fender-bender, I'm just hoping to keep dogs from escaping out open doors or windows. I don't use the harness very often, mainly use a crate.

 

~ Gloria

[airbear]

But for the average fender-bender, I'm just hoping to keep dogs from escaping out open doors or windows. I don't use the harness very often, mainly use a crate.

 

This. I have a large SUV with a custom built dogbox in the cargo area, where 3 of my dogs ride. My fourth dog rides with a Kurgo harness in the back seat. If I made the seatbelt tether as short as some advocate for maximum safety, the dog wouldn't be able to get up and turn around, and I suspect that he would be quite unhappy. This year alone, we have driven over 8,000 km to trials, and that's a long time to be tethered to a 20 cm strap. I bought the biggest truck with the best safety record, I try to drive defensively, and I have my dog in not-the-highest-rated seatbelt on the market with a tether that is too long. It might not protect him from a massive collision, but if we roll over, he won't go flying out the window. And I'm at peace with that.

[moosikins]

@Gloria - I think they noted that it was 30 mph...which isn't very fast at all considering the speed limit on the highway where I live is 70 mph and people typically go 80-85 mph.

 

However, it does give me a little bit of peace of mind like several people have noted that my dog has something protecting her. We also have the strap longer than is recommended on the buckle we have for Cal, but that's because she just doesn't tolerate it otherwise. She gets really crabby and growly when it's too short and I'm sure it makes her really uncomfortable so we've adjusted it so she can lay comfortably.

 

It also protects her from jumping out of the car windows. The one and only time I had her untethered in the car was in my dad's huge pickup truck (I'm tall but even I have to hop to get in and out...) and she was riding on my lap. She decided spontaneously that 60 mph was a great speed to LAUNCH herself out of the window. Thankfully she was wearing her gentle leader harness and I grabbed it at her chest and a fistfull of fur and she only made it 3/4 of the way out before I hauled her back in. Then, she promptly fell out the car when I started to get out with her at our destination when she jumped again but miscalculated how high up it was. Poor thing landed on her head...and I've very glad that I didn't give in and let her ride in the back of the truck like my family wanted.