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October 7, 2009

Lilly loaded up and went with me to run errands on Tuesday. When the weather allows, I use the frequent stops as part of our ongoing transition training (where Lilly learns to hop of the out car in a variety of locations, SIT, and relax quickly … thanks to classical conditioning). That continues to go well, but I’m always surprised how many dogs we see traveling the canyon, the highways, and local roads completely unrestrained in the car. Roadworthy, my recent article for the AKC Gazette, addresses this safety issue.

I found the following stat from my research shocking: Near a dog park in California, officers tracked the number of dogs who were and who were not restrained inside the car. And, 98% of them weren’t.

Maybe the dog people in our local circle of friends and fellow training students are unusual, but I would guess at least 50% of the dogs are crated or seatbelted in the car, even in our “pet dog” classes. Obviously, in the “performance dog” group, the percentage would be much higher.

Here, again, is our set-up in my Mini Cooper. It still needs to be tweaked, but between the crate and the car’s airbag system, I feel pretty good about Lilly’s protection when we drive.

{I’m sorry. The photos for this post got lost in the great blog photo glitch.}

HOT TIP
Ask your car insurance company about coverage for pets injured in an accident. Progressive, for example, recently raised its coverage to $1,000 (per accident, not per pet). When I went to insure the Mini, I asked our insurance company, and they only offer $500 of coverage. I took the opportunity to let them know that their competition was offering twice that amount and that folks like us pay attention to such things.

About the Author Roxanne Hawn

Trained as a traditional journalist and based in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA, I'm a full-time freelance writer for magazines, websites, and private clients. My areas of specialty include everything in the lifestyles arena, including health and home, personal finance and other consumer interests, relationships and trends, people and business profiles ... and, of course, all things pet related.

I don't just love dogs. I need them in my life. Seriously.

  1. Thanks for your response. I don’t think I can fit two large crates in my current car. However, I’m in the market for a new car and hopefully I can find something roomy enough for me and my two dogs.

  2. In my mind, yes, crates/kennels (properly secured) are the safest way for dogs to travel in most cases. I can see how service dogs may have to use other options, but for most pet or performance dogs, I just feel better seeing them in crates.

    I know a trainer who was driving cross-country to a dog show with like a dozen dogs in a van. They were all crated and secured, and none of them were injured badly when the trainer got in a bad rollover accident. That was enough to convince me.

  3. We use a seat belt harness for Linus. Stetson learned to ride on the front passenger floor during guide dog training and that’s where he continues to ride when we’re in the car.

    Is a kennel the safest way to travel in a car with dogs?

  4. I just got an e-mail today from my Mini dealer that they are having a costume party for Minis on the 23rd. I love my Mini but that’s going a bit too far.

  5. You can pretty much assume that none of them have truly been crash
    tested, but the people at CanineCommuter.com do have teams of people
    with different kinds of dogs and different kinds of cars, who test
    products they carry. They’ll even consult with you in advance and make
    recommendations on what would work best for your situation. In the
    interview, she told me that they have very few product returns because
    they try to help so much in advance with product selection.

  6. If we see the right size crate at a garage sale or something, we’ll get it and ship it. Us Mini girls have to stick together and protect our pups.

  7. Count me among those who have never restrained. Bad, I know, but my dogs don’t do crates and I bought one of those restraints once and Emma got right out of it. I wonder which ones have been tested and which ones are the safer ones? I don’t like wasting money on something that wouldn’t work in the event of an accident.

  8. The article is great! Congrats on the publication. I can relate to the concerns. About a month ago my car was rear-ended at about 30 miles an hour. I’m telling you – I’ve never felt such a jolt before in my life! One of the first things I thought was that I was so happy the dogs weren’t with me. My gosh, they are large dogs and could have been seriously injured and if that would have happened, I know I wouldn’t have been nearly as cordial as I was to all concerned when I got out of my vehicle. I would have gone to the moon emotionally.

  9. Thanks for the information. I don’t have a crate that would fit inside my Mini. Right now, Java like to curl up inside the lowest part of the back of the Mini, next to the hatch. I’ll have to think about what I can do to make her more secure.

  10. Susan – Can you say more about what part of yours failed so I can be aware when I buy my next ones? One of my dogs can’t be crated without getting carsick so seatbelts are it for us!

  11. I agree that I’m shocked to see how many dogs are completely unrestrained in cars. Aside from the obvious advantage to being restrained in an accident, it’s also great that your dog can’t launch themselves out of the car as soon as you open a door or get into the groceries that you just bought.

    My nephews have taken to approaching strangers in parking lots to inform them that their dogs should wear seatbelts (to the embarrassment of their parents)!

  12. Excellent post Rox!

    My monsters are always crated in Vanzilla (with very rare exception)…less distraction all around for us and makes me feel much safer in case of an accident.

    I’ll have to post pics of the set up…I have 3-4 different types of crates that I change out depending on weather. I have the same folding crate you use with Lilly for cooler weather (I don’t like these in warm weather b/c the mesh really does not breathe very well), hard plastic airline crates for cool weather, and sometimes I just my giant metal crates when I’m traveling longer distance with just the Guppies on board (gives them more room). I always have water in non-spill bowls available, too.

    I love that Lilly fits in a mini…can’t imagine how much easier it is to maneuver than Vanzilla. Hopefully one day we can afford to have a small commuter mobile for when we just take one or two pups somewhere.

    I’m off to read your article…I hope you don’t mind if I link it on my blog?
    xoxox
    Sue
    p.s. I hope your sister is doing well!

  13. Indeed. In fact, I found that almost none are truly tested. That’s why I’m a major crate girl. Even DogCars.com has more to do with dog-friendly features than safety, which no one really measures when it comes to our critters.

  14. And let’s not forget that not every doggie seat belt withstands a car crash — as was the case with Allie and me last June.

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