Pet Auto Safety

Many people like to take their pets with them when they travel.  But what will you do with your dog when you have to go inside a building, such as a grocery store, where he does not belong?  You may have to leave him in the car.

Leaving a dog along in the car is unsafe for two major reasons.  First, the car heats up quickly even if it is not hot outside and the windows are down.  Second, someone could steal your dog.  When people see our Breeze Guard Window Screens, they hope that they have found the solution to these two major problems.  However, this is a common misconception.

Here is a good question often asked by our customers for the Breeze Guard Window Screens:
“The two top fitting around the door frame on the outside looks like cloth… Is it safe to leave valuables in the car? (Like my dog) …can’t they just cut the straps?”

Our reply:
“Thank you for contacting us regarding the Breeze Guard Window Screens. The pieces fitting around the door frame are strong velcro-like pieces. They are much more durable than regular velcro. Someone could cut the straps but it wouldn’t be any more difficult or easier than jimmying the car open or breaking a window. Non-professional criminals are looking for an easy-in such as an unlocked door while more professional criminals have the same tools for unlocking car doors as tow truck drivers or lock smiths. Because of these criminals it is never safe to leave your valuables, especially your pet, in the car.

“The Breeze Guard Window Screens are not intended to be theft guards. They are intended to keep your dog from putting his head out of the window and getting hit by flying road debris, from jumping out the window while the car is in motion, or from accidentally getting tossed out the window in the event of a car accident or emergency car maneuver.

“We hope this information has been helpful.  Thank you for considering us for your pet auto safety needs.  Please let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns.”

Another thing we could have replied to this customer was that even with the Breeze Guard Window Screens, the car can still get very hot inside.  Leaving the windows down in your car can alleviate the heat a little bit, but it is no substitute for air conditioning or a nice fast breeze coming through an open window when the car is in motion.

The biggest and best pet car seat we have seen thus far is the My Buddy pet car seat from Snoozer.  Snoozer makes many great pet travel products including the Lookout pet car seat.  The My Buddy pet car seat is different from the Lookout pet car seat in that it is much bigger and it can hold two or more small pets.

As one of the biggest pet car seat brands, the My Buddy pet car seat can hold up to 30 pounds and it is about 30 inches by 17 inches on the outside and about 25 inches by 12 inches on the inside.  It gives pets a boost of about 7 inches and is a total of 19 inches tall.  Compare this to the Kyjen pet car seat which is about 15 x 15 inches square.  This is great for dogs who want to sit or lay down in a curled ball.  For multiple small dogs or a small dog who wants to stretch out, the My Buddy pet car seat may be best.

The My Buddy pet car seat is easily secured with the seat belt of the car.  And it comes with two connector straps so that two dogs can be secured in the pet car seat.  So the My Buddy pet car seat is not just for quality comfort, it is great for superior safety as well.

Outward Hound Port-a-Bowl and the Handi-Drink are great pet travel water bowl brands for your dog.  Whenever you take your dog out this summer, you want to make sure he stays cool and hydrated.  Many places don’t have bowls of fresh water lying around for your dog so you may want to bring your own pet travel water bowl.

The Outward Hound Port-a-Bowl pet travel water bowl fits easily in your pocket.  When your dog is ready to drink, simply unfold the pet travel water bowl, set it on the ground, and fill it with water.  When your dog is done, dump out the remaining water, shake it off, and put it back in your pocket.

The Handi-Drink pet travel water bowl comes with both a plastic bowl and a water bottle.  The bowl is long and fits around the bottle and both bowl and bottle clip on your belt for easy carrying.  When your dog is ready for a drink, simply flip open the pet travel water bowl and let the water flow.

Keeping your buddy cool this summer is very important.  Go swimming, boating, to the park, and enjoy the sunshine.  But help your dog stay cool and hydrated with a pet travel water bowl.

We see it all the time – dogs riding in the back of a pickup.  We cringe when we see a dog standing on the pickup bed rails with his head hanging out.  We gasp when the pickup takes a sharp turn and the dog struggles to maintain his balance.  Some of us have actually seen a dog get thrown from the back of a pickup.  In some cases, the dog died instantly when he hit the pavement and in some cases he was killed when he was immediately struck by another car.  It is a tragic way to lose a beloved pet.

We here at Pet Auto Safety.com prefer that dogs do not ride in the back of the pickup.  But if you must, please consider having your dog tethered in the back of the pickup with the K9 Truck Tether.  In some places, such a tether may even be required by law.

The K9 Truck Tether will allow your dog some maneuverability in the back of the truck, but not enough to allow him to stand on the rails or get thrown out.  It is made with nylon webbing and steel hardware.  And it has a swivel buckle which will help keep your dog from getting tangled in the webbing.

Because the K9 Truck Tether is made by Kurgo, it is a very high quality product.  It has been travel and strength tested.  While it would be safer for your dog to ride in the cab of a truck wearing his dog car harness, the K9 Truck Tether is at least safer than wearing no pet restraint at all.

When it is time to take a family vacation, don’t forget your pets.  If you’re travelling too far, leave your pets with a friend, a good boarding kennel, or hire a pet sitter.  But if your destination is a drive away, take your dog with you when you travel.  Here are some great reasons why:

Pet Friendly Hotels
Numerous pet friendly hotels make it easy.  Hotels all over the United States are opening their rooms to people traveling with their pets.  Some charge a nominal fee, some no fee at all.  And many have no restrictions on size or breed.

No Worries
There is no need to worry about whether your dog is being taken care of by your friend, the boarding kennel, or pet sitter.  If your dog travels with you, there will be no need to call anyone to see how your dog is doing.  You can enjoy your vacation together.

No Separation Anxiety or Depression
Your pet being left along for long hours waiting for your friend or pet sitter to come by can be a very depressing situation for your dog.  Some dogs get severe separation anxiety and tear things up.  Boarding kennels can be very stressful to your dog with all the barking going on and the strange smells and strange people.  If your dog travels with you, you will not need to worry about your dog having separation anxiety issues or going into depression.

Easy-going Companion
At least one of your traveling companions will not complain and be willing to do anything and go anywhere you want to go.  If you want to relax by the beach, your buddy is there.  If you want to go hiking or swimming, your dog will most likely want to go too.  If you ever get bored on your vacation, just take a look at your dog.  He is enjoying all the simple pleasures whether it is just taking a nap, enjoying the special time with family, or sniffing the fresh air and seeing the new sights.

Traveling with your dog can sometimes be a chore.  Some dogs don’t do well in the car.  But there are plenty of remedies to help.  Be sure he is secure in a dog car seatbelt or other dog car safety product.  If your dog tends to get car sick, be sure he has a good view out the window.  Small dogs can see out and be secure in a pet car seat.  And the more you take your dog with you when you travel, the more he will get used to it and look forward to more vacations!

The Hatchbag Pet Net is installed in your vehicle with a dual lock hardware kit.  The kit includes six each of 1″ mounting squares, dual lock circles attached to a black cord, and spring loaded barrel locks (pictured below).

The mounting squares have adhesive on one side and a very strong velcro-like material on the other (pictured below).  Be assured that this is no ordinary velcro.  It is very strong and cannot be pulled apart once attached to the dual lock circle.  Please note the special cleaning instructions.  The silicone or oil cleaners used on vinyl will prevent the adhesives from sticking.  Sot the vinyl must be cleaned with lacquer thinner.  The adhesives must be put in place and pressed for about 20 seconds, then left to cure for about 24 hours.

Once the mounting squares are in place, take the dual lock circle and firmly press it onto the velco-like material on the square (pictured below).  Pull the cord to make sure the two pieces are strongly attached.  These two pieces will always remain in your car until you permanently remove the adhesives with adhesive remover.

Now you are ready to attach the Hatchbag Pet Net.  The Hatchbag Pet Net has six eyelets.  There is one at each corner and two one either side in the middle.  Take the cords from the dual lock circles and thread it through the eyelet twice.  Then take the barrel lock and press it down so that it reveals another hole (pictured below).

Lastly, pull the cord of the dual lock circles through the hole of the barrel lock until the barrel lock is snug against the Hatchbag Pet Net.  Release the barrel lock and the cord will stay in place (pictured below).

To remove the Hatchbag Pet Net, simply release the barrel locks.  Leave the dual lock circles with the dangling cord in place.

Please note, the Hatchbag Pet Net is designed to keep your dog from being thrown into the front seat in the event of a car accident.  The Hatchbag Pet Net will also deter most dogs from trying to jump or climb into the front seat.  However, a determined dog may be able to circumvent the Hatchbag Pet Net at the sides.

“What great service!” Mary in Topeka, Kansas exclaimed when I hand-delivered her order.  She had ordered two dog seatbelts for her pugs from our website.  However, she didn’t realize that when she placed her order that we are located in a town just 30 minutes from her.  So I called her up and asked her if I could meet her in Topeka to give her the dog seatbelts in person.  By delivering in person, I was happy to refund the shipping cost charged by the website.  Needless to say, Mary was delighted.We here at Pet Auto Safety strive to provide the best customer service possible.  We have a lot of competitors who offer the same products for around the same price.  So the only edge we have is our great customer service.  We try to answer emails within 24 hours, we often forward our phones on evenings and weekends so that we can answer calls from our customers at all times of the day, we make returns and exchanges simple and easy, and we make sure our shipping prices are as close to the actual cost as possible.  Making shipping prices equitable includes refunding shipping charges when orders are local and we have the products in stock at our location.

But we don’t just have great customer service, we have great customers.  I was very happy to meet Mary and her husband in Topeka to give them the dog seatbelts.  They were both very nice people.  They even offered to pay the toll fee I had to pay for using I-70 from Lawrence to Kansas (of course I said no).  Meeting a fellow dog lover in person is a rewarding experience.

Thanks Mary for the compliment.  Enjoy the dog seatbelts and let us know if you have any issues with them.

Perhaps you have heard of the pet brand, Outward Hound.  They make lots of great outdoor gear for dogs including dog backpacks, pet strollers, portable water bowls, and, of course, pet automobile gear.  Our favorite Outward Hound products are the pet car seats.  There are the standard small pet car seats and the larger and padded Kyjen pet car seats (Kyjen is the company who owns the Outward Hound brand).

The Outward Hound pet car seats provide three points of safety for your dog.  First, the pet car seats are secured with strong nylon straps.  The top straps hang from the headrest of the seat while the bottom straps wrap around the body of the seat.  These straps can be adjusted so that the pet car seats are secure.

Second, the Outward Hound pet car seats have a strap on the inside which can clip onto the back of your dog’s harness.  This strap will keep your dog from jumping or flying out of the pet car seats.

Third, since the Outward Hound pet car seats are hanging from the headrest of the car rather than sitting on the seat itself, the airbags will not deploy in that seat should you and your pet be involved in a car accident.  This is a good thing since you do not want the airbags where your dog is sitting to deploy.  Airbags are designed for adult humans, not children or pets.

As with all Outward Hound brands, the pet car seats are of quality make and design.  If your dog loves to ride in the car, they will enjoy the Outward Hound pet car seats and be safe at the same time.

The Hyper Dog
The hyper dog generally loves to ride in the car.  He wants to be everywhere at once.  This is how my dog Maya is in the car.  For her, I have her wear a dog seatbelt.  Her dog seatbelt has the strap extended so that she has some mobility.  The strap isn’t long enough to allow her to get in the front seat, but it is long enough for her to reach one of the windows.  I also have the Extend-A-Seat to cover the floor so that she has more room to move around and there is no danger of her getting thrown onto the floor in a sudden stop.

For the hyper dog you can also try a pet car barrier.  As stressed in the previous post, be careful because a determined dog may be able to circumvent a pet car barrier.

You may also be able to help a hyper dog by not just taking him to fun places like the dog park, but also taking him to boring places like the bank drive through.  Or just drive around the block and come back home.  Perhaps if your dog isn’t always going somewhere fun when he is in the car, he may become desensitized by car rides.  A good example of how desensitization works would be if you got out your dog’s leash often throughout the day but didn’t take him for a walk.  He would eventually realize that the leash does not mean getting to go for a walk.

Pet travel safety is important.  But so is your dog’s comfort.  Working with your dog by helping him be desensitized to car rides or helping him not be so anxious in the car can provide him with both comfort and safety.  Pet travel safety is provided by your dog not being a distraction to the driver.  A dog seatbelt, a car seat for dogs, or a pet car barrier can also help with both comfort and safety.

Separation Anxiety
When I a say separation anxiety, I am not talking about the dog who gets nervous when you leave him alone in the car.  Don’t leave your dog in the car unattended.  By separation anxiety in the car, I am talking about the dog who insists on trying to get in the front seat while you’re driving.  He may even try to get in your lap.  This is a dangerous distraction.

You can try the dog seatbelt to keep him in place.  Work with your dog wearing the dog seatbelt at home first so that he doesn’t try to chew it off.  He can wear his harness around the house under your supervision.  Play with him while he is wearing it.  Take him for walks in it.  This way, by the time he gets in the car with it, he may not realize he has it on.  Take him for short rides at first just to make sure he doesn’t try to chew the strap which connects his dog seatbelt to the car.

You can also consider a pet car barrier.  Depending on the size of your dog and your car, you can use the smaller canvas pet car barrier called the Front Seat Barrier by Outward Hound, or you can use the larger more extensive pet car barrier like the T-Flex pet car barrier or the Hatchbag Pet Net.  Be careful because a determined dog may be able to circumvent these devices.

You may also be able to help a dog with separation anxiety by having someone sit in the back seat with him.  Or try giving him his favorite toys or something familiar like his dog bed.  Be careful about giving him toys he can chew apart.  Trying to seat something in a moving vehicle is probably not a good idea for a dog.  You wouldn’t want him to choke on something if you have to make a sudden stop or turn.