Time and again I see dogs travelling unsecured in cars. Hatchback owners are the worst culprits but plenty of people driving estate cars and 4x4s are guilty too.
I see them every day, sprawling on the back seat, sitting on the arm rest, happily perched on the passenger seat - even on the dash board or the parcel shelf. What do all of these pups have in common - none are travelling safely and all could get injured or injure others.
You wouldn't let a child travel in this fashion so the question is, why let your dog. By leaving your dog loose you are putting yourself and other road users in danger. An unsecured dog could try and move from the rear seats to sit with you in the front or could start barking and lunging at dogs it sees on the other side of the windows. This is distracting at best and at worst could cause you to collide with another car or even another person.
Added to this is the force an unsecured dog has when involved in a car crash. Remember the seatbelt campaign from a few years ago, the one where the child didn't have a seatbelt on and slammed into the front of the seat pushing the driver into the steering column? Well it doesn't have to be a person to have this effect. If you are driving at speed and have an unsecured dog in your rear seats the force of any braking or impact will throw the dog forward. Not only could the dog get injured, or even die if thrown from the car, but you and any other people travelling in the car could suffer as well. And what about if your dog managed to get loose, say on a busy road or even a motorway. Yet another disaster waiting to happen.
Nowadays there exist a wide variety of products to ensure your dog stays safe while on the road. You can buy custom built car travel crates made to measure, sure to fit even the most oddly shaped car, alternatively and slightly cheaper are the ready to buy standard travel crates, there are also a plethora of soft travel crates that can be secured to seat belt points, then there are doggy seat belts. Most require your dog to wear a harness, if they fixed to a standard collar then sharp breaking could seriously damage your dog's neck. The harness is then attached either to the seatbelt point or the seatbelt itself.
My preferred methods of transporting our pups are a partitioned travel crate in the rear of the car. A travel crate differs from your dog's standard crate in that it is more solid and features front and back doors so that if the rear of your car is damaged you can drop the back seats and open the crate from that end. I also use a great system called the Kurgo auto bungee - this looks quite complicated but features a sturdy harness, a tight line that fixes between the coat hooks above the rear passenger doors and a carabiner and belt system that anchors your dog while allowing it limited sideways movement along the rear seat. It comes in a variety of sizes and can be used on any size dog from toy breeds to giants.
Another thought to consider is whether your dog walker transports your dog in a safe fashion. All too many pet professionals are keen to fit as many dogs into one space as possible. This means cars and vans crammed with dogs all unsecured and forced to get up close and personal with each other. Not only is this dangerous for all the reasons mentioned but it can lead to fights among dogs and make the process of being transported and taken out for a walk a stressful and unpleasant experience. All responsible pet professionals will be happy to show you how they transport your dog and reassure you that they do so safely.
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