How to Properly Secure Your Dog in a Car
It is quite surprising sometimes, to see that the length dog owners will go to keep him/herself safe in the car while driving will often not include that of their pet. Some dog owners leave their dog unsecured on the rear seat, which can be very dangerous. There have been cases of unsecured dogs causing car accident or the unsecured dog completely killed in a car accident. Dog that is left unsecured in a car on motion is likely to be confused and disoriented by the strange feeling of traveling in a car, and this may lead to the dog behaving erratically, hindering the ability of the driver to concentrate while driving. In the same vein, an unsecured dog in car is at greater risk of sustaining serious injuries or death, and as well become a deadly projectile capable of inflicting injuries on other passengers. This is why how to properly secure your dog in a car should be the concern of every dog owner at all times.
Different options are available for securing your dog in car while driving. One of the most popular and convenient options is the use of dog crate or carrier. Dog carriers are really very simple to use. Some dog crates come in the form of metal mesh or soft crates. The later offers more convenience than the former because; they are light in weight and easy to collapse. To ensure that your dog is fully secured, you will need to find a point in the interior of the car where you can attach the crate. This will only make the difference from leaving your dog totally unsecured in the event that an accident should happen. For the metal types of crate and depending on your car, you can easily wedge them between the front and rear seats. You also have an option of attaching the crate to the seat belt. This can also be done by threading the strap through the window bars. However, you should be aware that this will not prevent your dog from being thrown against the side of the crate if you are involved in a crash.
A seat-belt harness is another option in our discussion on how to properly secure your dog in a car. These items are very simple to use. They can be used to attach your pet to the seat-belt, while providing protection for your pet, in the same way your seat-belt does for you. Although, they may take a little longer time to set up than a simple dog crate, but they are more convenient. The most important thing is that, it is a safer way of securing your dog, since it can prevent your dog from being thrown to the front when a crash occurs.
You can also use simple barriers to block the dog from coming from the rear to the front of the car. This totally eliminates any case of having the dog interfering with the driver. It should be noted that this however, does not give enough protection to the dog in case of an accident. They are also more expensive than harnesses and should be used only as a last resort. Car rides with your pet can be fun, but you have to know how to properly secure your dog in a car to ensure both its safety and yours as well.