Canadians spend millions of dollars on food, toys and entertainment for their pets each year, surprisingly we have a blind spot when it comes to pet safety in the car. To ensure the safety of both you and your pets in the car it is essential to make sure your animals are restrained properly. This means using a chest harness in conjunction with the car seat belt.

There are several reasons why we must use proper restraint systems for our animals.

Seatbelts save lives: We know this is true for humans. The force of a collision, even at speeds as low as 30km an hour can fatally injure any unsecured pet that hits the dashboard or windshield.

Driver distraction: It is dangerous to have your pet unrestrained in the car. They can cause a distraction by jumping onto your lap or even interfering with the pedals.

Unsecured pets become projectiles in an accident: At speeds of approximately 60km/hour an unrestrained pet can become a projectile flying through your car with the force of 20 times its weight. Obviously this is not good for your pet, but it is also extremely unsafe for all the human occupants of the car.

Help the professionals help you: in case of an accident, you want to make sure that the professionals can get to you safely and easily. Animals, like people can act unpredictably when they are involved in an accident.

We buckle ourselves into the car and we make sure our children are safely restrained in their car seats, why would we allow our beloved pets to be loose in the car?

Chest harnesses are an affordable and logical solution to keeping our pets safe in the car. Look for a harness that has adjustable straps for the chest and waist.

We recommend the 3 in 1 VestHarness made by RC Pets. The chest strap is wide and padded. The VestHarness is available in a variety of colours and sizes. This product is offered in local pet stores.

This information is provided by Bark Busters Home Dog Training – the world’s largest, most trusted dog training company. More information can be obtained by contacting your local behaviour therapist at 1-866-418-4584 / Cell: 613-531-2546, or by visiting barkbusters.ca

Article by: Alana & Marco from Bark Busters
Photo by: RC Pets