Adventures in Pet Sitting - Ask Aunt Deb (Week 6)
What are the best ways for our pets to travel with us safely?
Car safety for pets has come a long way in the last couple of years. Even though we are sometimes envious of our dog's head-out-the-window joy,
it's one of the least safe things we allow them do.
Road debris, bugs, even wind damage are the main risks. On top of that, a sudden stop will knock them off their feet making them an uncontrollable, flying object. If the air-bag triggers, the force of deployment can cause serious injury.
Thankfully, there are a variety of ways to make sure everyone is safe and comfortable. Crates, barriers, and harnesses are available for any size pet and even some car manufacturers are adding pet-specific packages to newer model vehicles.
I trimmed this list of 18 tips down to the five most essential with an eye towards safety first:
- Rear cargo attachment devices – to keep a harnessed dog (or dog carriers/crates) from sliding around.
- A pet barrier – to keep your dog from getting into the front seat. Some vehicles come with one, or you can buy a cargo divider.
- Windows in the back that roll down – for ventilation.
- Rear A/C vents – so the dog can benefit from interior air conditioning as well.
- Childproof windows and door locks – so the dog can’t accidentally open/close the window or the door.
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Crates come in all sizes, materials, and configurations. A common theme across the sites I researched indicated metal was superior to plastic or fabric due to the protective strength metal offers against impact. Plastic tends to crack or, even worse, shatter. Fabric offers little or no impact protection.
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This site has a great calculator to determine the appropriate size for your pet based on their measurements. They're geared for transporting pets, not for regular travel, but their crate requirements for pet safety and comfortable long-distance travel is an excellent yardstick for choosing your own version.
Barriers can consist of a fabric or metal ' wall' to contain your pet's movement within the vehicle. Whether you just want to keep them out of the front seats, within reach in the back seat, or have their designated spot in the rear cargo area, I guarantee there is a barrier, or combination of barriers that will work for your situation.
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This site shows some of the many choices you have. I'd show more of them here, but I don't want to be 'endorsing' their store specifically.
Harnesses are the most difficult to fit, but allows your pet a good amount of freedom even while restrained. I ran across a site, The Center for Pet Safety, that is now bookmarked for my personal use. These folks are basically the Consumer Report of the dog world. They even have a list of a approved harnesses that have been thoroughly tested.
It appears that only one of the brands tested (in 2013) met all the test requirements. It looks like @aunt-deb is going to be considering a new harness set up for Tinker. Although Tink's harness is on a zip line across the upper back seat, not at seat level. You can see it just under the headrests and behind a very wet, dirty, happy Tink.
I encourage all pet owners to give some thought to making sure our furkids' trips with us to be as enjoyable as our own, by considering the safety factor when we travel. Hopefully, these options will be go a long way to helping decide what's right for you and your pet!
Happy trails!!
Edited to add missing words & punctuation
Interesting post. Well written and informative.
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ColdMonkey mines Gridcoin through generating BOINC computations for science...
Thanks!
Thanks for the support as always on here. I was realizing today I have not seen your stuff in my feed for like - ever, came to see some new posts before I hop off for the nite and bam, I recognized that blazing new logo you have like I mentioned before LOL
Have a good nite.
Thanks, hon! I've been busy and too distracted to write much that's sensible. Am glad the logo is doing it's job. Appreciate the feedback!
Am mulling over a new series so I don't have to come up with something new as often. Hopefully, I can get a couple written up and give myself a little cushion. Fingers crossed I'll be debuting newly learned formatting skills, too. It just dawned on me I'll probably need to have a logo for the this effort as well. Guess I know what I'm doing the next few days.... Lol!
Have cozy evening!
LOL, cozy. ha!
I slept out back in the hammock again the other nite, I sleep best in there but my sleep system has 2 small thermal leaks so I can't really sleep out there once it hits -10C without a million layers on, I don't have a technical sleep system for my outdoors life.
You have been doing great with your learning and then applying things, you have done really nicely with that. I am no online pro, I just muddle along as you see LOL
Have a good day!!
Sleeping outside... in the dead of winter...? Evidently, I missed something. Color me confused...
Thanks for the encouragement. It DOES help! I know some html coding, but am very rusty. Throw in markdown here and it mangles my remember-er. Lol!
Steem ON, brother!
LOL!
Have you ever slept a full night in a hammock? It is so comfortable.
I am a bushcrafter/off grid guy, I just cannot do much these days with my injuries so it is one way I can sort of "be" outdoors -- in the hammock and remain committed to a more offgrid/primitive lifestyle I prefer.
Not to mention the sheer comfort of it. I decided last year to up my game and basically slept outside in the yard, in my hammock most of the year. All summer and right into the winter when the 2 areas for thermal leaks could not be addressed but only when it got down to -10.
There are less pressure points in a hammock, for your body, once you try it for a nite or 2, you will see what I mean.
I guess in a way it is like laying in a womb sort of the way the 30 degree hang angle ~ cradles you and does not push back against your body, shoulders, etc. My back even feels better.
Nope, never slept in a hammock. From this description I might have to try it. Only I don't think I could do that degree of cold. I like the concept, tho, of getting your off-grid time worked in wherever you can. Good thinking! And, thanks for clearing that up.
You are one of my best friends on here and I do not share much most of the time about some parts of my life so today I wrote about my mom passing away 17 yrs ago today, and wanted to make an effort to share that with you as a friend. It is on my page from this aft.
I appreciate your friendship so it is there if you have time. (:
Just came from there. You've had a rough ride, bud. Dang! And the thing with the brother... wow! Amazing how different some people are even though related. That you focus on continuing to help connect folks is a testament to a good heart, in my book. I'm proud to call you friend!
Oh, and I don't know if it helps, this date is a sad one for me, too. My younger sister passed 3 years ago today - in Florida. Got there in time to say goodbye. Didn't think that was gonna happen. Now, it's only me and Dad, who'll be 79 in 3 weeks. Even had to fight the mortgage company when they tried to steal her house. Messed with the wrong wench, they did. (Another long story.)
Hugs, hon. Hugs!
Thanks for the kind words that means a lot to me.
I don't find peace that you lost someone, but the fact you and I share a common bond on a same day, is actually kind of nice.
I can tell you understand, and thank you as always for the friendship sister.
Thank you.