Dogs in Cars

Tranceypoo

How do you transport your dog in your car?

Just reading an article about should seat belts being made compulsory for dogs and the facts that if your dog is loose in the back of the car and you have to brake suddenly etc, if there's an accident and your dog gets out of the car onto a busy road and runs away, causes another accident, if you need to be cut out of the car and your dog is loose in the car and so being territorial/scared/injured and barks/growls at the ES so they can't get into the car to save you. All worse case scenarios I know, but nothing out of the realms of possibility and I must admit some of them never even occured to me!

We have quite a big saloon car and the two dogs sit really quietly in the back, the older one tends to lie down straight away and go to sleep, the younger one sits up and looks out the window and after a while she lies down and goes to sleep as well, honestly they're little angels in the car (if only they were like that all the time!!), I'm just wondering about putting seat belts on them, it would be difficult for the older dog, because of his bad leg he can't really sit comfortably for any length of time, he has to stand or lie down, plus I have a cover on the back seat at all times as they're usually mucky or shedding (or both). The other alternative is a crate I suppose. What do ye all do?

barbiegirl

Our guys have padded harnesses that can be used for walking too, then a little belt that clips to the harness and clicks into the seat belt clip. Not uncomfortable at all, allows them to move a bit, and does the job perfectly.

borderlinemeath

We have exactly the same as barbiegirl, find them brilliant. So handy and easy to use. just declip the seat belt and clip on your lead when you reach your destination.

TG1

I've also heard that about the ESS so I use a dog seat belt on the back seat with my guy, but if his Labrador x friend is coming too, I put both of them in the boot with a set of dog bars.
The lab x can pull down the bars on a long journey if he's bored enough though...
On the older dog issue, I brought a friends 12 year old full lab from Cork to Dublin using a seatbelt (the journey was necessary, otherwise I wouldn't have brought him!!) a while ago, and he could lie down and sleep in the seatbelt.
He is exactly as you'd imagine a 12 year old lab to be, slightly rounder then he should be and lame in both back legs, so if he could get comfortable in one, I'd imagine any dog could...
I have a cover for the back seat that has small openings for the seatbelt buckle to poke through which is very handy to use with the dog belt.
I've heard great things about crates from a friend who has child seats etc. to worry about as well as dogs, but have never used one myself, as its usually just two adults and two dogs in the car!

TooManyDogs

We have a barjo tailgate guard in back of our car



and the halfords dog guard behind the back seats



So essentially the boot is one big crate

tk123

Tranceypoo wrote: »

it would be difficult for the older dog, because of his bad leg he can't really sit comfortably for any length of time, he has to stand or lie down,

I use a Clix car harness and it has enough slack on it to sit/stand/lie down - 99% of the time he's in the boot of the jeep and I connect it a connecting line that clips into the back seat and is fed thru the split in the rear sits and clipped to the harness but the harness on it's own has enough slack. I also have a mesh grid as well. Some people just use the connecting line clipped to a collar/harness which is not going to offer the same level of protection or could end up injuring the dog imo.
The belts etc are for your safety as well as the dogs. If you have to break suddenly the dog can be hurt and also hurt you if it comes flying forward into you. Also the dog could get protective of you and not let emergency services near you if it's loose in the car.
So this is one rule I agree with 100% percent

EDIT - our guard is the same as TMD's

Tranceypoo

TG1 wrote: »

I've also heard that about the ESS so I use a dog seat belt on the back seat with my guy, but if his Labrador x friend is coming too, I put both of them in the boot with a set of dog bars.
The lab x can pull down the bars on a long journey if he's bored enough though...
On the older dog issue, I brought a friends 12 year old full lab from Cork to Dublin using a seatbelt (the journey was necessary, otherwise I wouldn't have brought him!!) a while ago, and he could lie down and sleep in the seatbelt.
He is exactly as you'd imagine a 12 year old lab to be, slightly rounder then he should be and lame in both back legs, so if he could get comfortable in one, I'd imagine any dog could...
I have a cover for the back seat that has small openings for the seatbelt buckle to poke through which is very handy to use with the dog belt.
I've heard great things about crates from a friend who has child seats etc. to worry about as well as dogs, but have never used one myself, as its usually just two adults and two dogs in the car!

Ah, that sounds like something I need TG1, where did you get that seat belt thing that the dog could lie down and sleep whilst wearing it? Also where did you get the seat cover with the openings for the seat belts?

Thanks guys

Edited to add, just seen TK123's post and link, cheers for that. Our car is a saloon otherwise I would have them in the boot with the guard on that would be the easiest I think!

TooManyDogs

tk123 wrote: »

The belts etc are for your safety as well as the dogs. If you have to break suddenly the dog can be hurt and also hurt you if it comes flying forward into you.

Someone once told me (so not guaranteeing validity) that you multiply the weight of anything loose thing in your car by 4 and that's what will hit you in the back of the head in a crash. Makes me look at my sister's handbag in a whole new light

Rosedust84

Old man living near me puts his dog in the boot..seems so cruel!

Tranceypoo

Rosedust84 wrote: »

Old man living near me puts his dog in the boot..seems so cruel!

Yes I've seen people do this (and not just older generation), think it's awful!

andreac

I have a van and my dogs are in the back so they cant be belted in. There is a way in to the front from the back with my van but they just quietly behind me.

I was involved in a car crash back in May on my way to work, lady pulled out in front of me and i hit her side on. Luckily i was only going about 30mph as it was a built up area. The dogs were fine and Flo did end up between the back and the front seats and then hopped into the front seat, not a bother on her.

I got out and then ambulance, fire brigade etc were called as the other lady was trapped in her car. The whole scene was bit chaotic and not one i want to be involved in again in a hurry.

I was close to work and as i bring my 2 to work with me i was able to get the guys from work to come down and take the dogs back to the stud for me. I was there watching as they got Flo out but i was worried about Cooper and how he would react with all the commotion and strangers, as they wouldnt let me wait and see if he was ok, they made me get on to the stretcher, lol, i was more worried about them than me

But they were all ok and didnt mind the people taking them out of the van.

TG1

I have this one, it's on zooplus at: http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/dogs/dog_cages_carriers/car_harness/129703

As for the cover, I got it in aldi. I think I paid about €8 euro for it about a year ago. they do a range of dog stuff every so often as a special that includes the covers. I bought a couple just in case and one has lost its waterproofing in the year, but they are so handy, and machine washable that I think its worth investing in a few!:)

borderlinemeath

TooManyDogs wrote: »

Someone once told me (so not guaranteeing validity) that you multiply the weight of anything loose thing in your car by 4 and that's what will hit you in the back of the head in a crash. Makes me look at my sister's handbag in a whole new light

This is partly true, (don't know about the times 4 bit) but anything loose in your car has the potential to kill or maim in the event of an accident.

So the box of tissues on the shelf behind the rear seats, the cds, kids books/toys can all do damage as the gforces in a car crash intensify the weight.

I used to fit childrens car seats and sat through many training demos/ crash test videos that proved the theory.

TooManyDogs

andreac wrote: »

I have a van and my dogs are in the back so they cant be belted in.

Friend of mine with vans and dogs have crates secured in the back and the dogs always travel in the crates

Tranceypoo

http://izismile.com/2009/02/17/dogs_love_riding_in_cars_15_photos.html

LucyBliss

This came up in conversation recently when I met up with some old friends and a couple of them laughed at me when I said that I had seatbelts for my dogs. They seemed to consider it a frivolous expense and overreaction on my part. But my thinking is, and always has been, that if I insist on myself and other human passengers being belted in, why wouldn't I do the same for my dogs? I consider them to be precious cargo, not to mention the damage they could do if we were in an accident (God forbid) and they landed up against the driver or the passenger seat. They're small enough dogs but they're quite solid!

tk123

Ah LucyBiss I get that kind of thing all the time!! You send your dog to DAYCARE??! €15 TWICE a week!?!?!??!? Then the same person - my dog pulled all the skirting boards off last night and cost me €500 worth of damage does your dog ever do that?:rolleyes:

kylith

Mine usually travel in the pasenger footwell if it's a short trip, and in their crates, which are clipped in to the rear seatbelts if we're going any distance.

We don't have our own car, which is why we don't have dedicated seat belt harnesses.

ABajaninCork

Mine has a seat belt harness. Thread the seat belt through and clip. Just unclip it and clip his lead on when leaving.

I also have one of those seat covers that allows you to put the the clips through. Great little gadget. It just wipes clean, and keeps the seat pristine.

gizmo555

Rosedust84 wrote: »

Old man living near me puts his dog in the boot..seems so cruel!

Tranceypoo wrote: »

Yes I've seen people do this (and not just older generation), think it's awful!

What's cruel about it?

We have two cars, one a large estate type into the back of which I can just fit my dog's crate and that's what she travels in, in that vehicle. This allows her to see the driver and any passengers in the car and also to look out the windows.

The other is a saloon with a conventional boot and that's where she goes when she's in that car. It's dark and she can't see anything.

She is always much calmer, quieter and less prone to car sickness in the car boot than in the crate. It doesn't appear to bother her in the slightest. In what way is that cruel?

mymo

I have tried a harness and seat belt, Oliver can get out of it, even when done up so tight I thought it would cut off circulation. I got a great guard for the boot that is adjustable and fits onto the headrests, Oliver has figured out how to pull out a bar and squeeze through the gap:rolleyes:, so off to Halfords tomorrow to try the one TooManyDogs has in the pic.
I don't like the idea of the dogs loose in the car, far too dangerous, and in my boot (hatchback)they can still see out and have a bed and are enclosed. Someone said they would be squashed and killed in the boot, but I looked at the safety of the car before buying, rear impact was a concern but I'm happy with what I found.