Pet Auto Safety

Maya the Easter Puppy says, “Keep your dog safe this Easter,”

and, “Just because I am so cute doesn’t mean I should get Easter candy.”

With Easter coming on, it is time to review some dog Easter safety tips for your dog.  Check out this post we wrote on our American Dog Blog, titled “Easter Candy Safety for Your Dogs”.

There are lots of posts about the yellow lab named Tater Tot who escaped from the car after a car accident.  We had to share the story too since Tater Tot’s story is a good story to share to remind people that pets need to be buckled up too.

 Trish Dale of Warren, Vermont was in a car accident a few days ago.  Her dogs were with her in the car when Trish fell asleep at the wheel.  For the most part, everyone was not too seriously injured.  But both her dogs bolted out of the car to escape the scary event.  They were terrified and had no understanding of what had just happened.

 One of the dogs was found right away, but poor Tater Tot wasn’t found until three days later.  First, he is in a terrifying car accident, then he is separated from the people who could have given him comfort.

 Thankfully, everything ended well.  Tater Tot is back home with his loving family.  To read more about the car accident, check out examiner.com.

Remember, dogs wearing a dog car harness may have a better chance of survival than a dog without.  Not only are they saved from being projected out a window, but they are also kept from escaping from the car.  Tater Tot could have gotten hit by another car during his escape.  Or he could have died from injuries which could have been treated if he had been able to stay with the car.

Dawn Ross, the primary owner of Pet Auto Safety.com, is now a certified dog trainer with the Animal Behavior College. So if you live near Lawrence, Kansas and if you are interested in getting help on learning how to train your dog, contact Dawn at naturebydawn@aol.com. Since Dawn is a new dog trainer, dog training classes will be less expensive than most other dog training courses. And if you like how Dawn has helped you train your dog, reference her to other dog-people you know.Also, look for dog training articles by Dawn Ross on the Pet Auto Safety Blog and the American Dog Blog.

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.

The Hatchbag Pet Car Net at Pet Auto Safety.com comes in five sizes. That can be rather daunting for someone shopping for a pet car net for their vehicle. It takes time to measure your vehicle and compare it to the sizes on the website. Then there is the question of where to measure.

Well, we have good news. Pet Auto Safety.com has an application guide which we can use to determine which size of pet car net your vehicle needs. Since all sizes are the same price, you do not need to worry about choosing the wrong size. Simply order the size you think you need, then indicate your vehicle year, make, and model during checkout. We will compare your vehicle with our application guide, and exchange for proper sized pet car net as needed. If you don’t want us to exchange the size of pet car net you selected, simply type “generic” in the place which asks for your vehicle information.

This is a feature available only at Pet Auto Safety.com.

Protect your car and provide a comfortable resting place for your dog with the Slumber Pet Quilted Car Seat Cover. The Slumber Pet Quilted Car Seat Cover is made of faux suede and has a polyester-filled bolster which can be removed for easy cleaning. The Slumber Pet Quilted Car Seat Cover fits nicely in the back of your SUV. It can also be used as a couch cover indoors. Don’t be fooled by the above photo. The Slumber Pet Quilted Car Seat Cover comes in either tan or blue - not both.

The small Slumber Pet Quilted Car Seat Cover measures 29″L x 45″W x 7″H.

The large Slumber Pet Quilted Car Seat Cover measures 29″L x 60″W x 7″H.

In celebration of spring, Pet Auto Safety.com has reduced the price of the Sightseers Pet Car Seat. Little dogs can travel in comfort whether they are traveling in the car or being carried around town. That is because the Sightseers Pet Car Seat can be used as both a pet car seat and as a pet travel carrier. Just because your dogs are small and cute doesn’t mean you have to carry them around in a fluffy pink bag. Carry them in the classy looking Sightseers Pet Car Seat instead.

Spring is almost here and it’s time to take our dogs to the park again. But don’t forget these very important pet car travel safety tips:

1) Don’t let your dog ride in the front seat unless your car doesn’t have passenger side airbags, or unless the passenger side airbags have been disabled.

2) It’s okay have the window partly down for your dog but don’t put it down enough for them to stick their head out. Not only can flying debris hurt your dog, but if you are in a car accident, a dog with his head out the window has the chance for more serious injuries such as choking or decapitation.

3) Restrain your dog with a dog car seat belt, pet car seat, or other pet car travel safety device. A restrained dog helps to prevent driver distraction and will help to protect your dog in the event of a car accident.

4) DON’T LEAVE YOUR DOG ALONE IN THE CAR - EVER!! It may be cool outside but a car tends to trap heat, even with the windows down. Not only do you have to worry about heat stroke in your dog, but you also have to worry about dog theft. Purebred dogs have more risk, but even our American mutts are in danger form unscrupulous individuals who will kidnap your dog and hold them for ransom. Yes, it happens even to dogs. Your dog is also prone to cruelty if left alone in the car. If your dog likes to bark at a passersby, some not-so-nice people may intentionally aggravate and tease your dog.

5) Be sure to carry everything your dog needs for the trip. Things like their leash and water. You may also want to carry their vet information and a dog first aid kit.

Our plea for a traveling dog story has not gone unanswered. Patricia (Pat) from Arizona shares her dog, Bruce, with us. Bruce (probably a Labrador retriever mix) was picked out of a litter of puppies on a farm in Oregon several years ago. He was named Bruce, after Bruce Wayne, of Batman (one of the kids named him). As you may know, Oregon and Arizona have a lot in common when it comes to nature trails. Bruce and his family trekked the mountains of Oregon in early life, and continued the quest when they moved to Arizona. The family often takes nature trips in their SUV where Bruce travels in the back behind a pet car barrier similar to the Euro-Bar pet car barrier. Their favorite trip was in Sedona where Bruce investigated nature while off-leash on one of the out-of-the-way nature trails. Bruce found a tarantula in the path but smartly avoided it. Even though the tarantula was probably harmless, Bruce knew better than to mess with wild animals (experience based on confrontations with snakes and skunks). Bruce is a smart and savvy dog. And even though he likes to investigate nature, he is never goes beyond the sight of his family.

(Pat says she has a picture of the tarantula too!  She will have to scan it and send it to us later,though.)