Pet Auto Safety

If you are moving to a different part of the country or even a different part of the world, you will probably want to take your beloved pet with you.  Moving to a different part of the United States can sometimes be a hassle.  If you are not driving, your pet will probably have to fly.  Airline restrictions are strict and complicated.  Forgetting even the slightest step could delay your pet’s travel and complicate matters even more.

If moving to a different part of the United States is complicated, moving your pet to a different part of the world is even more complex.  Not only do you have to comply with airline restrictions, you have to abide by the other country’s rules and regulations in regards to pets.  That could involve precise veterinary certifications, several vaccinations, and quarantine regulations.

Matters are already complicated when you have to move.  But you can remove the complication of moving your pet with Pet Relocation.com.  This website provides lots of information and resources needed for national or international pet travel.  They also provide a service where they will handle “every detail involved in planning and implementing safe and compassionate pet shipping”.

We have not needed to use this service yet, but the reviews are great.  Research your options carefully and if you decide to use Pet Relocation.com, let us know how it went.

The Roll-Around Pet Carrier is an all-purpose dog carrier made by Snoozer.  You can easily tote the Roll-Around Pet Carrier like a suitcase.  The handle extends and it has wheels for easy tug-along.  Or you can carry it like a backpack.  Then secure it in your car as you drive to the airport.  With the smaller pet carrier, it will fit under most airline seats for airline travel.  When you get to your hotel, keep the dog in the Roll-Around Pet Carrier for use as a pet bed.

To secure the Roll-Around Pet Carrier in your car, simply slide the seat belt of the car through the straps in the back as pictured above.  Then snap the seat belt into the seat belt receptacle.  Sudden stops or car accidents will keep your pet in the pet carrier and the pet carrier secured to the seat.  Snoozer says that the buckled in Roll-Around Pet Carrier in the car seat position with all zippers closed has been crash tested at 30 pounds at 30 mph.

Probably 99.9% of restaurants do not allow dogs inside unless they are service dogs.  However, did you know that some restaurants will allow dogs to be on the outdoor patio with you?  Yes, it’s true!  Some restaurants are even extra friendly and open about it.

So how do you find out if a particular restaurant will allow you to have your dog with you on the outdoor patio?  If you already know which restaurant you are going to eat at, call them first before bringing your dog.  If you want to get an idea of some restaurants in your area, we know of some great websites you can visit.

We liked PetFriendlyTravel.com because they provided a way for people to give their reviews of the restaurants.  And those people can review the restaurant with a one, two, or three-bone review.  A one-bone review is a restaurant which allows dogs while a three-bone review is a restaurant which not only allows dogs but makes them feel welcome too – like by giving the dogs a bowl of water.

The only thing we didn’t like about Pet Friendly Travel was that they did not have any restaurants or reviews listed for the state of Kansas (which is where we live).  We did find another great website at DogFriendly.com.  This website did not have a way for people to give review and it did not list much information other than the restaurants themselves.  But at least they had information for Kansas!

Even if you find a pet friendly restaurant on these websites, you should take a moment to call them before you bring your dog.  You never know if there has been change in management or policy since the website was last posted.

My dog, Maya, and I had a great time at the Paws in the Park pet event at Gage Park in Topeka, Kansas.  I had a booth there for Pet Auto Safety.com and Animal Figurine Store.com.  Maya was there to show off her dog seat belt.  You can see her wearing her dog seat belt in the photo above.  The black harness is her dog seat belt.  (I left the connecting strap in the car so it wouldn’t dangle and annoy her.)  Maya is also playing with her new toy which we got from one of the vendors next to us.  Other photos include a pair of Irish Wolfhounds and a Borzoi.

There were lots of vendors at the event.  Many were for profit and many more were for non-profit.  Proceeds from the Paws in the Park pet event went to the Topeka Helping Hands Humane Society, including the cost we paid to have our booth there.

Other Paws in the Park pet event activities included pet contests and a dog walk.  Maya really wanted to enter the pet contest for best trick (she has been working on some cute tricks) but she had to stay at the booth with me.  She still had fun, though.  She got to meet lots of people and dogs.  She played with some dogs and didn’t jump on or lick anyone when they petted her.  She was a really good dog and she is looking forward to the next pet event.

I just want to say that I am very happy with the car harness I got for my dog.  Trixie is a Lhasa Apso with a lot of energy.  She is a general busy-body in the car and a major distraction.  After nearly causing me to wreck because she was trying to climb in my lap, I decided it was time to take action.

I bought the Guardian Gear car harness based on the advice of Michelle at www.PetAutoSafety.com.  She said the Guardian Gear brand would allow Trixie to still have freedom to move around, but keep her safe at the same time.

At first, I was worried that Trixie would hate the car harness.  But I got this flier with my purchase which told my how to help Trixie get used to wearing it.  I followed the advice and Trixie now wears her car harness without any complaint.

We get a lot of subscribers and viewers of our Pet Auto Safety blog, but not many comments.  Your comments are greatly needed so that we can make improvements to blog.  We want to be informative so if we haven’t given enough information, we need to know.  If we have given you some great advice, we need to know that too.

Share your opinions with us and help us spread the word about the importance of pet auto safety.

If you are going on vacation with your dog sometime soon, give us a call.  Let us help you determine which dog car seat belt is best for your dog.  Then make a purchase.

Yes, you have to make a purchase before getting the discount.  After making your purchase, send us a photograph of your dog wearing the dog car seat belt and write a 2-3 paragraph testimonial about your experience.  Once received, we will give you a 50% refund.

We want to hear about your experience with the dog car seat belt, whether good or bad.  It is important to us that we get feedback on our products so we can properly provide the best products and services available on the market.  Tell us how the dog car seat belt worked for your dog and tell us about your vacation too!

Visit Pet Auto Safety.com for our contact information and make a purchase.  Don’t worry, if you have already purchased a dog car seat belt from us in the past, you can still qualify for this offer.  We just need your name so we can find your previous order in our records.  Although we don’t know how long we will keep this offer available, it won’t last long.

Both Sephi and Maya have been wearing their dog seat belts since they were puppies.  For Sephi, that is 9 years (since 2001).  For Maya, that has been 3 years (since 2007).  That is a very long time.

But with Sephi, she hasn’t worn the dog seat belt every time she has been in the car.  In fact, I used to be rather lax about making her wear it.  I generally only made her wear her dog seat belt when I was going to use the highway.  This was a big mistake.  First of all, Sephi was a distraction when she wasn’t wearing her dog seat belt because she would put her front feet on the center console and keep her head right by my head as I drove.  It was very diverting when she sniffed me or licked me or just panted in my face.  Second, Sephi wasn’t safe even when I wasn’t driving at high speeds on the highway.  An emergency push on the brake or a sudden swerve sent her flying.  Luckily, she was never hurt.  But after an incident which left her crying, I decided that Sephi would wear her dog seat belt every time she was in the car, even if I was just going down the street to the bank drive-through.

Well, this tells you why I have Sephi and Maya wear their dog seat belts, but it doesn’t tell you how they like them.  Just check out the above dog video and see for yourself.  As you can see, they get so happy and excited when I get out their dog seat belts.  Despite their excitement, they do pretty well at holding still while I put them on.

Sephi and Maya have been wearing their dog seat belts for so long, that they don’t know what it is like to ride in the car without them.  They have learned to associate the dog seat belts with car rides, so they see dog seat belts as fun.

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.