# Safety in the car ideas?



## juliejujubean (May 4, 2011)

Graham and I have decided to trade in my 2010 Ford Focus for the new 2013 Ford escape for dia and our future dog. (and me lol) and we obviously want to keep dia safe in the trunk space of the suv. the only thing is i want something that is not so bulky as a crate to protect her.. is there a harness tie down thing that would work? I have never had an suv before so dia has a harness that attaches to a seat belt in the back seat of my focus. another concern is crates are so bulky and we won't be able to fit more than the two crates in the trunk, and i do not want to have to fold down the seats either! (we will be getting the waterproof cargo protector and leather seats to keep it clean) I also do not like those metal dividers that people use that remind me of police cars.

anyone have any suggestions, or what do you do?


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Why not just keep them in the backseat with the safety harness, you can get a cover for the seat that the seat belts fit through. I have a SUV and I don't use the back for the dogs, they are in the backseat in seat belts.


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## juliejujubean (May 4, 2011)

I have thought about that, but i will be having kids (not sure when) and you can't fit 2 full grown gsds and a carseat comfortably! I would just rather them get used to the back versus the seats.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

juliejujubean said:


> I have thought about that, but i will be having kids (not sure when) and you can't fit 2 full grown gsds and a carseat comfortably! I would just rather them get used to the back versus the seats.



It might be easier to put the baby in the back??? Just kidding, I see your point I got my SUV(Seats 7) based on my dogs and kids and the back turns into temporary seats, so I can have the dogs in the back back in seats/seat belts or the kids back there. I don't know of a way other then crates or the metal bar you don't like. I'm not a big fan of having anything way in the back in case of rear end collision.


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## juliejujubean (May 4, 2011)

Kid in the trunk!! of course, why did i not think of that?!?!? 
I guess I will just have to see what works when we get the vehicle! At least it will be leather seats (and i do own a seat cover) so at least it will be easy clean up!


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

juliejujubean said:


> Kid in the trunk!! of course, why did i not think of that?!?!?


It works great, you can listen to the radio without any interruptions


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Do you have cargo anchors in the Escape? I know the Explorer had them and you could probably work out a seat belt connection to them.


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## juliejujubean (May 4, 2011)

jocoyn said:


> Do you have cargo anchors in the Escape? I know the Explorer had them and you could probably work out a seat belt connection to them.


Im not sure, I hope so!


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/welcome-gsd-faqs-first-time-owner/176663-dog-safety-car.html has good ideas.

Crate or belt, you know you'd secure your kids in a car.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

:bump:


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## lkcheertex (Apr 20, 2011)

We have a doggy seat belt type of thing that's a padded harness. Got it at petsmart.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

You can try the harness, but I always liked crating the dogs in the car. I think it is the safest thing to do. It's a pain and takes up space, but I feel better knowing they are crated and safe.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

Be careful about what harness you choose, many of the "car harnesses" are actually not made to withstand the forces present in a crash.
The ones I know of that are crash tested and/or safety rated are the Petbuckle, Champion seatbelt, Roadie, Kurgo, Bergan and Snoozer seatbelt harness.

I personally like the Champion seatbelt and that's what I use for my dogs. If you have cargo anchors you should be able to connect the strap that comes with the Champion harness to those. The end has a link that attaches to the seatbelt or anchor.

Here's a photo of it connected that way:








(I got it from a website that sells them)

Depending on the configuration of the car you might be able to do something like this, but hooking the dog up behind the seats instead of the dog being on the backseat, if that makes sense:
http://www.dogscouttroop107.com/uploads/Safe_Travel.pdf#page=6

You would just need a longer strap than they use in that link, if your backseat is a bench type.


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## marksteven (Aug 2, 2008)

MaggieRoseLee said:


> http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/welcome-gsd-faqs-first-time-owner/176663-dog-safety-car.html has good ideas.
> 
> Crate or belt, you know you'd secure your kids in a car.
> 
> Petbuckle Crash Test Video - YouTube





Nice video, never saw that one. Thats why Ramsey rides in the crate.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

This comes from a Pet--box store employee who could have made more of a profit on a booster seat with a harness built in - the crate is still the safest place for a dog to ride.

And it's true, IMO - I have seen dogs survive rollovers, the crate broke but the dog was okay, healthwise anyway - they were traumatized mentally but they lived through the collision and/or rollover.

There's a video that has crash test dogs harnessed in and they are not as safe as a crate. I will try to find it on youtube.


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## Alexandria610 (Dec 2, 2010)

That second video is a great one, msvette2u. It really shows how easily the extreme forces of car accidents and impacts can break inadequate products, or inadequate placement of those products. It makes me want to strap my babies down into children car seats! But it's a good demonstration of why it is important to strap the dogs or animals down with crash tested/approved harnesses and belts, as well as placement of crates and carriers.


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## juliejujubean (May 4, 2011)

Chicagocanine said:


> Be careful about what harness you choose, many of the "car harnesses" are actually not made to withstand the forces present in a crash.
> The ones I know of that are crash tested and/or safety rated are the Petbuckle, Champion seatbelt, Roadie, Kurgo, Bergan and Snoozer seatbelt harness.
> 
> I personally like the Champion seatbelt and that's what I use for my dogs. If you have cargo anchors you should be able to connect the strap that comes with the Champion harness to those. The end has a link that attaches to the seatbelt or anchor.
> ...


I like this one...  I may just have to try this out.
I would prefer a crate, i just don't know if our future car will have the space for 2 of them.


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## OriginalWacky (Dec 21, 2011)

juliejujubean said:


> I like this one...  I may just have to try this out.
> I would prefer a crate, i just don't know if our future car will have the space for 2 of them.


I love the CHampion system, I got mine and am very happy with the harnesses and connections. I was using cheaper stuff from the pet store, but I can see how these would protect our dogs better than those. Added bonus for us was buying the puppy package means we spent less, and since Koshka is big enough for his big harness, and the littler one fits Krissie well, we don't have to add more later. 

I used to go with the crate, but it's tough to fit two of them in where we need them and still be able to get all the other things and people in the vehicles. Plus, I do transports for rescues, and often have several other dogs along, and then I use a combo if crating and tethering to keep them all apart and as safe as I can. I have on occasion had a group of dogs just loose in the back of the Jeep to get them moved, although I prefer not to do that. It makes for some fun pictures though. Hehe.


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## Mary&Stella (Jan 1, 2011)

Stella rides in a nice crate, designed to withstand crashes. When she is not with us we simply open the door to the crate for cargo space. Back in the day I did not even worry about the dogs being in the car but then you here so many sad stories after car accidents that we want her safe and we want to be safe as well. ( we have 2 cars one is crate free !)


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## TCAP1 (Mar 28, 2012)

I have the car harness and 2 SUV crates. 

Mainly use the SUV crates, can fit 2 sid by side in my Explorer and my new/old ride - Nissan Pathfinder. They fold down so they don't take up a lot of space. Not that thats a problem, 2 shepherd fill up any space real quick.

They are expensive but i found a deal on 1 at care a lot pet store, 75% off because the wire above the door was bent.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Using wire crates.

I don't know if it helped but I always zip tied the dickens out of any wire crate I used in a vehicle - I figured it might help like the Lilliputions tying down Gulliver. 

That gap between the floor plan and the wire (folding crate) is a great place to trap feet. Gone are the days it seems of being able to find a pin crate that does not have that feature.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Hey I have an old pin crate! And yes it's sporting about two dozen zip-ties.

I use crates. For me they are the only option. A tested car harness is fine too, but will not work/not allowed for what we do.


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## TrickyShepherd (Aug 15, 2011)

Thanks for starting this thread! I just landed in the very same position. I went from a 99' Toyota Camry LE to the 2012 Jeep Patriot Latitude yesterday.... and now with a charity event and our training day coming up really soon (Saturday & Sunday!) I am scrambling to make this SUV as safe as possible for them (and my car)! This wasn't expected so soon... so, needless to say... we were not prepared. 

I used the crate system for Duke during Training days, and that's the way we are going in the Jeep for both. I am buying a second crate today and some cargo straps to lock them down so they don't slide everywhere. I am also getting a waterproof SUV cargo cover for the cars interior.... so this way I am also protecting my car. I find that to be the safest way. I have a small SUV, but it will be fine to carry 2 36" travel crates, and their equipment just fine. (I am almost 70% sure, I will not have to put the back seat down, *crosses fingers*)


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## ponyfarm (Apr 11, 2010)

What kind of crates are best for suv's? About to shop for one..I have the champion harness for the older dog, but puppy needs a crate.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

The best I have seen are the Ruff Rider Roadie seat belt and the Ruff Tough Kennel.
Ruff Rider | Dog Seatbelts | Car Safety Harnesses and Pet Safety

Ruff Tough Kennels-Dog Crates, Dog Kennels and Dog Carriers


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