Car Trips with your Dog: Safety Tips
May 07
Who doesn’t smile when you’re in your car, and you see a happy canine face poking out a car window enjoying the wind? Or how sweetly a tiny dog sits in his owners lap, looking out the window, while they are driving? People who love their pets want to include them in more than just home life, and many dogs love traveling with their owners. If you’ve just bought a new puppy such as one of our Yorkie or Pom puppies in Ohio and Pennsylvania, you’ll need your puppy to travel to the vet and other places such as obedience school or to the park for socialization. However, before you take your dog for a car ride, there are some things to do to make sure everyone has a safe and fun time.
As cute as it is to have your dog in your lap or just up front with you, this is actually a very, very dangerous situation for you and your dog. A loose dog in the car can be a distraction while driving. A dog sitting in a driver’s lap can interfere with steering and other functions or could accidentally bump a control or the wheel while adjusting position. In addition, in the event of an accident, caused by someone else, the loose dog could get thrown around the vehicle, get hit by an airbag, or be crushed between you and the steering wheel or between you and an airbag deploying from the steering wheel.
Now that you’re aware of the dangers, what can you do to keep your dog safe in the car? Firstly, it’s best for your dog to be in the back seat, just like it’s safer for a small child. In addition, there are many options for dog restraints that work similarly in concept to a child safety seat or booster seat. The three easy solutions: a harness and strap which connects to the car’s existing seat belt, a padded platform which is strapped in with the seat belt, and has another strap that connects to a dog harness, or a dog carrier, strapped in with a seat belt. While your dog may be less happy about car trips if he or she is restrained, it’s much safer for both of you.
Another unfortunate danger is having an open window. While many dogs enjoy poking their heads out to enjoy the breeze, this isn’t quite the innocent pleasure it seems. Some obvious reasons are that your dog could jump out or be thrown out by a bump, sudden turn, or swerve. Some less obvious, but dangerous, concerns are that that breeze can dry out their eyes or carry dirt, grit, or other debris that could damage their eyes, in addition, all that ear flapping can damage the blood vessels in their ears. It’s best to keep windows closed or minimally cracked. It’s also best to use the child safety features to disable the window controls so that your dog can’t accidentally trigger the window to go up or down.
