Pet Auto Safety

The biggest advantage of using a Euro Bar or T-Flex pet car barrier is that you have a better chance of keep both you and your dog safe than you would if your dog had free-range throughout the vehicle.  By keeping your dog in the back with a pet car barrier, you can help alleviate the distraction of your dog trying to get in the front with the driver.  Also, in the event of a car accident your dog is less likely to become a flying projectile which could seriously injure or kill front passengers.  A pet car barrier will also prevent your dog from getting thrown through the front windshield.

Another advantage is that the pressure-method of the pet car barrier will not damage the interior of your vehicle.  You do not need to screw anything in or use messy adhesives.  This pressure-method also makes the pet car barrier easy to install as well as easy to remove when not needed.  And in many cases, you may even be able to use the pet car barrier in different similar-sized vehicles.

A drawback of the Euro Bar and T-Flex pet car barrier is that it is not as sturdy as the type of pet car barrier which police cars use.  This is because the pet car barrier used in police cars is screwed and welded in.  While the pressure-method of the Euro Bar and T-Flex pet car barrier is reasonably secure, it may move or bend in the most severe types of car accidents.

Another drawback of the Euro Bar and T-Flex pet car barrier is it may not work in cars with a sunroof.  Also, you may want to consider the placement of the pet car barrier in relation to the rear doors.  The pet car barrier needs something in which to put pressure on and if the sunroof or door is open, the stability of the pet car barrier may be compromised.

If you can think of any other advantages or disadvantages of the Euro Bar or T-Flex pet car barrier, please share it with us.  Any information you provide will help our readers make a decision about what is best for them and their pets.

The metal pet car barriers available on Pet Auto Safety.com are made of solid aluminum.  They work by a spring-load action which uses counter-pressure to keep the pet car barriers in place.  If installed properly, this pressure-method will make the pet car barriers almost completely immovable.  You can feel secure knowing that if you are in a car accident and your pet flies forward, that they won’t fly into the back of you or the other passengers and they won’t fly through the front windshield.

Pet Auto Safety.com has three types of Euro Bar pet car barriers and one T-Flex pet car barriers.  The Euro Bar pet car barriers come in a 4-bar, 6-bar, and 10-bar.  The 4-bar is the smallest and the 10-bar is the largest.  Although the T-Flex pet car barriers have only one type, the size has more adjustability.  The T-Flex pet car barriers are different than the Euro Bar pet car barriers in that they have a vertical bars down the center which helps to keep your dog from trying to squeeze in between the seats.

The Euro Bar and T-Flex pet car barriers are not vehicle specific.  To find out which of the four types of metal pet car barriers is best for your vehicle, you will have to measure the inside of your vehicle and compare to the range measurements indicated on Pet Auto Safety.com.

There are advantages and disadvantages to using these metal pet car barriers.  Check out our blog in a few days to find out what these are.

Check out Maya in the car with the Breeze Guard Window Barrier in place. I use the Breeze Guard Window Barrier so that my dogs can get a good breeze without having to stick their heads out the car window. While many dogs love to stick their head out the car window, there is a small danger of them being injured by flying debris.

The Breeze Guard Window Barrier also keeps your dog from jumping out of or being thrown out of the car window. Since my dogs wear their dog car harnesses, I don’t need to worry about this. But flying debris is a real issue. Next time you visit your vet, ask them if they have ever had a dog brought in who had their eyes, nose, or mouth damaged because flying debris hit them when their head was out the car window. I bet most vets will have a story to tell.

I love the Breeze Guard Window Barrier because my dogs can enjoy the fresh air without the danger of flying debris. But I also love it because it is easy to install and use. I can roll up the windows all the way if I want so I can leave the Breeze Guard Window Barrier in all the time. If for some reason I want to take them out, it is very simple. But not so simple that my dogs can get through them. The Breeze Guard Window Barrier is strapped very securely to the car. Very strong velcro straps wrap around the door frame of your car without damaging the car and without any hindrance to being able to fully close the door of your car. I have used the Breeze Guard Window Barrier for a few years now and it is still in as good of shape as it was when I first got it.

Please note that while the windows in the car are only halfway down, the Breeze Guard Window Barrier can be used with the windows all the way down. (Unfortunately, my car doesn’t allow for my windows to go all the way down.) Please also note that just because you can keep your windows down and have the Breeze Guard Window Barrier in place, it does not mean that you can leave your dog unattended in the car. Never leave your dog alone in the car, even if the windows are rolled down. Windows down or not, a car traps heat - even in mild weather.

Jeffrey from the state of Washington likes to go hiking and camping. He takes his three big dogs with him and they all have a great time. While the hiking and camping are fun, the trips there and back are not. His three dogs used to have free range all throughout his SUV while he was driving. And it was a big distraction. All three dogs were constantly going from window to window and from front to back seats.

The situation was not at all safe. In fact, Jeffrey almost got into a car accident when two of his dogs started scuffling in the front seat. That was when he decided he had had enough. But he didn’t want to give up taking his dogs on these trips so he contacted us instead. Our recommendation was the Euro 6-Bar Pet Car Barrier. Jeffrey measured the inside of his SUV and determined that this pet car barrier would best fit his needs.

Once he received the pet car barrier, he says it was fairly easy for him to set up. And it kept his dogs from getting into the front. Jeffrey expected his dogs to try to get through the pet car barrier, but Rocky and Beaux could care less. Sasha was a bit upset at first. But soon she settled down and all was well. Jeffrey now has a safe ride with his dogs kept securely in the back with the Euro Pet Car Barrier.

The Front Seat Pet Car Barrier is made by Outward Hound. It is made from durable canvas with strong straps which wrap around the front seats of your car. There are two straps which wrap around each headrest and two straps which wrap around the bottom of the front seats. The straps buckle together and are easily tightened so that the Front Seat Pet Car Barrier is snug against back of the front seats.

The Front Seat Pet Car Barrier is ideal for small dogs and most medium sized dogs. A large dog or determined medium sized dog, however, may be able to get over the top. By using the Front Seat Pet Car Barrier to keep your dog in the back seat, the driver has less distraction which makes your drive more safe.

Pet Auto Safety.com carries a variety of pet auto safety products for dogs. Some of the best products are of the Kurgo Products brand. Motivation Design LLC is the company behind the Kurgo Products brand. Motivation Design LLC designed these products, manufactures them, and markets them. Their mission is to provide high-quality products for everyday use.Kurgo Products have been seen on many news features including Good Morning America, The Early Show, New York Times, and more. Although the products have not been crash tested, they have been rigorously tested for strength, durability, and effectiveness. Pet Auto Safety.com is proud to carry many of the Kurgo Products including the Backseat Barrier, Wander Hammock, and the Tru-Fit Smart Harness. The Kurgo brand Backseat Barrier helps to keep your dog in the back seat and from being a distraction to the driver. The Wander Hammock can do the same thing, although it does not go as high up as the Backseat Barrier. But the Wander Hammock has a wonderful feature in that it keeps your dog from being thrown onto the floor of your car. The Kurgo brand Tru-Fit Smart Harness not only keeps your dog from distracting the driver, it also keeps your dog from being ejected from the car in the event of a car accident. It is statistically proven that seat belts save lives for people - they can save lives for dogs too.

Check out the Backseat Barrier, Wander Hammock, and Tru-Fit Smart Harness from Kurgo at Pet Auto Safety.com.

We at MuttManagers, LLC are very excited to be teaming up with PetAutoSafety.com to offer BreezeGuard™ Screens to all of our customers. We are hoping that by joining together, we will reach more people and introduce them to easy ways to protect our dogs while traveling either just down the road to the park or across the country while on vacation.

Let’s make this a safer summer for our dogs by adding a seatbelt and a pair of BreezeGuard Screens. :0)

  Safer Summertime Trips     (Words worth repeating…) 

Dogs and summertime rides just seem to go together!  Dogs love to go with us everywhere.  They love to stick their heads out the window while the vehicle is moving.  And dogs love to move around the interior of the vehicle.

But while all these seem like perfectly harmless things to do, any one of these actions can place our dogs in danger.  Why?

       In a matter of minutes, the interior temperature of the vehicle can exceed safe limits for your dog, even when the temperature outside seems moderate. 

       Your dog can experience damage to its eyes from flying debris and wind.  It can also be injured falling or jumping from the vehicle window.

       In the event of an accident, your dog could become a projectile, being thrown about the cabin of the vehicle.  This can injure not only your dog, but also you and any other passengers. 

How can we make the journey safer for our dogs, while still allowing them to enjoy the summertime ride?

       A pair of BreezeGuard™ Screens can allow for a cross breeze, keeping the vehicle cooler for your pet.

       BreezeGuard™ screens allow your dog full access to the window, while still preventing it from falling or jumping out

       BreezeGuard™ screens make your dog more likely to stay in one spot—near the BreezeGuard™!—where it won’t usually mind wearing a seatbelt.

Protecting your dog with the same love, care and concern you give to all the members of your family can be as simple as following these safety tips.  Help make your summer travels even safer, so you and your dog can enjoy the open road.

Sue

MuttManagers, LLC

Does your dog try to get into the front seat while you are driving? Do they rest their front paws on the center console only to lose their balance and fall when you have to stop or turn? This can be quite a distraction to the driver. One way to keep your dog in the back seat is to use a dog car safety barrier.

A dog car safety barrier can be of metal, cloth, or netting. But if you have a small car, a metal or netting dog car safety barrier can be rather bulky and unsightly. So consider a cloth dog car safety barrier instead. Outward Hound makes a great cloth dog car safety barrier called the Front Seat Dog Car Safety barrier. This works great in keeping small to medium dogs in the back seat. It can also be a deterrent for large dogs. But just be aware that a determined large dog will be able to climb over this dog car safety barrier.

The Outward Hound Front Seat Dog Car Safety Barrier wraps around the headrests of the front seats at the top. Then wraps around the seat back and seat cushion at the bottom. This makes the Outward Hound Front Seat Dog Car Safety Barrier simple to use, effective for small to medium-sized dogs, and relatively inexpensive.

The two most important factors you need to consider before purchasing a pet car barrier are your vehicle and your dog.

What kind of vehicle do you have? The Euro-bar pet car barrier, T-flex pet car barrier, wire mesh pet car barrier, and pet car net will work better in an SUV or minivan than in a car. The cloth pet car barrier works well in cars, SUVs, or minivans. The dog car hammock also works with all types of vehicles if your dog is going to be in the back seat. A dog car hammock won’t work if your dog will be in the back cargo area of the SUV or minivan. The wire mesh pet car barrier works better in large SUVs or minivans than in the smaller utility vehicles or cars. The T-flex pet car barrier and pet car net works better with vehicles which don’t have much of a center console.

Is your dog big or small? The Euro-bar pet car barrier and T-flex pet car barrier will not work with small dogs and may not work well for medium sized dogs. The cloth pet car barrier will work with small dogs, but only if your vehicle has a center console and only if your dog can’t crawl under the seats. The cloth pet car barrier or dog car hammock may be too short and a big dog may want to jump or climb over it. The Backseat Pet Car Barrier has an extension to make it taller, but this may not be adequate for a determined dog.

Is your dog overly determined to get to you in the front seat? The pet car net should not be used for very determined dogs. A dog who paws at the pet car net may get tangled. And since the pet car net does not attach to your car in all places, a determined dog may try to squeeze through the openings on the sides. The cloth pet car barrier or dog car hammock may not work for a determined big dog but may work well with medium or smaller dogs.

For a detailed description of each type of dog car barrier, visit http://www.petautosafety.com/pet-auto-barriers. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at naturebydawn@aol.com.