Dog Seatbelt Search

Suddenly, Tom likes to take Lilly on little outings in his truck. It has no back seat or king cab or anything, and he isn’t keen on stuffing her crate in there with him, so I began my quest for a dog seatbelt harness thing.

Thanks to friends on Twitter, who offered ideas, and HUGE thanks to Lindsey Wolko from CanineCommuter for sending me FREE samples of the top two contenders (Ruff Rider Roadie and the Solvit) so that we could try them out before we decide.

I’m particularly grateful because the new version of the Ruff Rider Roadie seem impossible to get anywhere right now. Most places have only a few sizes of the old ones left, and no new ones. They must be having supply-chain issues, which is understandable, but also REALLY frustrating for a motivated shopper.

Ruff Rider Roadie

In terms of overall fit and simplicity, we’re leaning towards the size 5 Ruff Rider Roadie. (I do, however, need to double-check the fit next time I put it on her.)

It’s all one piece — no buckles, no hardware.

It’s light, and relatively easy to get on (if you have a cooperative dog friend).

Getting it OFF, however, gives me pause. Even though I’ve done it a few times now, I still kind of panic … like when you’re in the dressing room at a store and suddenly think you’re not going to be able to get your big behind out of that swimsuit or skirt without tearing it.

Except in this case, I’m worried that I’m going to TWEAK Lilly’s wrist or elbow getting it off.

Solvit Safety Harness

Lindsey LOVES the Solvit. It’s one her top picks. Lilly, however, isn’t as keen on it. Maybe it’s because we don’t have the right size (this one seems small on her), but the metal fasteners, which can be better than plastic buckles at key connection points.

But, the “weight” of the unit and the cumbersome chest padding really seem to bug Lilly, like she has a huge diaper strapped to her.

When I first put it on, she acted like I had just loaded her down with sandbags. You can tell by the shape of her head that she is NOT happy in this photo.

The Next Hurdle

So, the next hurdle beyond overall fit and ease comes when we actually put Lilly in the truck and try to buckle her in … and TRY is the operative word here.

When she is in a harness, she pretty much blows off any request I make. Even a simple sit so that I can better thread the seatbelt through the proper harness loop is TOO much for her, which tells me the harness freaks her out.

I’ll keep working on how she feels, but my initial attempt at installing her right seemed weird.

With the strap on the harness and whatever slack the seatbelt might give, I’m not sure it’s going to keep her safe in the truck’s cab. The space in there (front to back) is just too tight.

Lindsey reminded me, and it’s a good message for EVERYONE. While pretty much NO ONE recommends putting a dog in the front seat, IF you’re going to do it … you Must, Must, Must turn off the airbag on that side. The speed and impact of one deploying could seriously injure even a bigger dog.

Next Step

I’ll keep working on getting Lilly buckled in, and then I’ll have Tom drive her up and down our road to see if she settles down once she realizes that Rotten Harness means Fun Rides.

He is a mechanically minded genius, so I’ll him look at the setup and comment. It’s entirely possible that I’m NOT buckling her in right, even though I’ve watched the video demo on the site.

If I’m brave, I might even ask him to try stopping short to see if the seat belt locks and if the harness keeps her in place.

I’m not sure I’m that brave, though.

Your Picks

So, what do you use … if you’re a seat belt harness kind of person?

Susan … which one was Allie wearing when you had your accident?