Safe Travels

 

Memorial Day is next week, which means that if you haven’t booked your summer vacation then you are already running late.  And of course you weren’t planning on leaving your pup behind, right?

Right?

That’s what I thought. 

After all, “wanna go for a ride?” elicits just as much canine enthusiasm as “wanna go walkies?” in most dogs I have met.  And what human can’t help but smile at the classic sight of a dog with their head hanging out the window of a car, joy in their eyes and jowls in the breeze?   

But whether you are headed down to the beach or up to the mountains, or simply across town to grandma’s house, safe travel for all of your family members is vitally important.  A pup napping in the passenger seat becomes a projectile headed for the windshield if the vehicle gets rear-ended.  That happy dog with their head out the window can decide to jump into the middle of traffic without a moment’s notice.  If you, dear reader, have managed to avoid tragedy of this kind in the past, please be grateful but do not continue to tempt fate. 

This aspect of summer fun is often overlooked, even by experts in the industry.  Unlike human safety restraints, there is no governing body to oversee the quality of animal safety restraints available, nor even to ensure that they are used at all.  This is why the Center for Pet Safety partnered with Subaru in 2015 to test the crashworthiness of crates and harnesses marketed to pet owners as being safe for travel.  Unfortunately, as with many items on the market, manufacturers’ product testing did not hold up to the more rigorous third-party testing performed by CPS.  Their website includes the full study report as well as a list of CPS Certified Products.  That list, by the way, is distressingly short. 

In all fairness, CPS is a non-profit and it would be impractical to test every single product available, and many new items are on the market now that weren't in 2015.  However, I have to wonder about the sellers of such woefully inadequate products as what is essentially a leash with a seatbelt buckle in place of a handle (snap your dog’s spine in one easy step!) or the backseat hammock (protect your floormats from pet hair while your pet bounces around the cab like a pinball!) and ask myself if they really think that they are helping pets and their owners.  Worse still are the products that have undergone internal testing to “prove” their crashworthiness which is then unable to be replicated, yet they are still marketed and sold as safe. 

After exhaustive research, I decided to invest in a Gunner kennel for my dogs.  And yes, I do mean it was an investment.  I even intentionally ordered a size up because although my current GSD is on the lighter side for a male and could technically fit in a medium kennel, who knows what kind of beast I may end up with in the future?  It’s best to just go on and plan ahead.  I don’t need a back seat anyway.  More room for dog gear.  Yes, it’s a kennel that stays in the vehicle – one of the drawbacks of the Gunner is that it weighs nearly as much as the dog does.  It is also taller and narrower than the average crate, creating a unique blindspot in the rear quarter of my vehicle that I have learned to adapt to in order to be a safe driver.   

But that thing is built like a vault.  It does not shift.  It does not rattle.  It shall not be moved. 

The upfront cost may have been a good chunk of my paycheck, but the lifetime value will always be the peace of mind that comes from knowing that my animals are safe no matter where we may be headed.