Do you use a doggie car seat or seat belt?

[IrishMeg]

We hate taking the dogs in the car because I have this fear of getting into an accident and one of them getting hurt. Or getting into an accident and the two of them escaping.

Does anyone use any of the doggie car seats or seat belts? If so which one and do you like it? If not, do you worry about what would happen if you got into an accident? I see some people driving with their dogs on their laps and I think "No way!" I just don't want anything to happen to them. They've finally outgrown the little crate we used when they were puppies and neither of our cars are big enough for a regular sized crate.

I just wanted a little feed back before we started looking. I don't want to waste my money on something that isn't that safe or effective.

TIA!

[seapod]

We have a harness that lacey has for when we go for walks.

It's called the cetacea dog harness. here's an image
http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/images/prod/20740918_sm.jpg

Here's a link to the site that has some of them I bought mine at a local petstore.
http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/dept.asp?dept_id=801

We also have a secondary belt that is a strap that goes through the seatbelt and clips to the metal loops in her harness. I'll have to look to see what's it's called and get a pix of it.

[Katy]

My former roomie (and the boy's auntie-mama) bought him a car seat box (with seatbelt connection) and a seatbelt harness before we moved - she was scared of the LA drivers! He's slightly too big for the car seat so it would topple over every time we took a turn. I have to say though, he was a trooper and would always get back in once I fixed it (again, and again, and again). Then we brought it into the house one day and the cat claimed it as his (and the dog didn't mind). As for the regular doggie seatbelt, I keep meaning to exchange it for a larger size (he's a medium and she's always getting him size small stuff).

[lml41981]

We bought some harnesses that are meant to be doggie seat belts and they were the biggest waste of money. They are the right size, but our dogs can still back out of them and step right out.

We haven't found anything else, so we just make sure to drive safely and defensively.

[paiger]

we have one for leo (20lbs) that i got from pet smart. it is similar to the picture, but instead of buckling in it has a loop that the car seat belt goes through so he can move around in the seat. it is wonderful for us! but, leo sits or lays down in the car. he does not move around, so he might be able to get out of it (like lml said) if he tried.

i am quilty of when he was little driving around town (short trips in no traffic) w/ him in my lap. so, when he got too big, and i was going to be taking him on road trips, i had to get something so he wouldn't jump on me while i was driving. he does a great job in the seat belt, but that might be b/c of how he rides in the car (very sad-like) instead of being from the seat belt itself being a great product.

i know it's terrible, but i still let him ride in the front seat in his seat belt instead of the back. we put him in the back once, and he got himself so worked up he threw up for 2 days!

http://www.petsmart.com/media/ps/images/products/detail/standard/July04/55908_39a67.jpg

[boilermaker]

In our regular vehicles, we do not use a seat belt or a harness or anything. He just lays in the back seat. However, when we are off-roading in our Jeep, we do have a harness for him that attaches to the roll cage because if we rolled over, he would likely be hurt pretty badly.

Has anyone seen the proposed law in PA requiring sealtbelts/restraints for dogs?

[gayle]

My dogs are in airline crates when we travel. It has been my experience that most show/obedience enthusiasts feel that this is the safest way for your dog to ride in a car. The harnesses and belts can twist and tangle.

[Jane&Andy]

We had one but if Butter twisted it enough he'd be free. So he travels loose. We have small two-door cars so there is just no way we can fit a crate in the car. Once we upgrade to a family car we'll probably make him start traveling in his crate.

[kam]

We currently have the Fido Rido. I think the company may be out of business. It's ok. The harnesses that came with it are kind of cheap, in my opinion and our dogs hated them. We now use their normal harnesses.

[icedwhite]

we use the ROADIE from www.ruffrider.com. it's a seatbelt/harness.

our english bulldog is 55lbs. it's pretty hard core, but we're kinda paranoid like that. :p

it's pretty pricey, too, $30-50 depending on where you buy it. however, i've been very happy with it. it's very durable and i've thrown it in the washer several times already. it's also very easy to put on. in fact, our dog knows how to step into it once we get it around his neck.

i can't know for sure, but it seems comfortable for him. he's never gotten any weird rashes or chafing, and he just lies there and sleeps.

[JillyBean]

If it's just a quick trip (like to the vet or Petsmart) I just hold her in my lap (bad, I know). For long trips she rides in her carrier. I bought her a booster seat, like this one:
http://www.petsmart.com/media/ps/images/products/detail/standard/April04/56221_378d7.jpg
But she doesn't really like it. She sits there and wines the whole time. I know I need to use something like that on the short trips. Much safer. I might end up getting her one of those portable crates to use in the car. Getting her current carrier out to the car is a big pain.

[IrishMeg]

Thank you for all of your responses. I'm glad to see I'm not alone here.

We have small two-door cars so there is just no way we can fit a crate in the car. Once we upgrade to a family car we'll probably make him start traveling in his crate.

We're in the same situation.

icedwhite, I'm checking out that link you posted. Thank you. Your doggie is sooo cute!

It has been my experience that most show/obedience enthusiasts feel that this is the safest way for your dog to ride in a car.

Thanks, Gayle. I kind of had a feeling that this was probably true.

[camberne]

We have a seatbelt harness for Scout (he's 50#). He doesn't like it, but he's fine with it once he gets used to it. It almost is like a seeing-eye harness except the handle that the seatbelt goes through is soft rather than rigid. I haven't ever had any trouble with him getting out of it.

[smiles33]

Hey icedwhite, I bought the Roadie for my terrier mix, too! It was the safest one out there (or appears to be!) and I felt more reassured after reading their website.

My boy, who is only 10-12 pounds, used to wriggle out of it all the time, as the smallest harness is still a bit loose and he was used to having free rein. Yet after a week or so, he calmed down and now he's perfectly comfortable in it.

I didn't splurge on the sheepskin covered harness (I think that one was $80-$90?), but I did copy the idea of protecting him from the rigid edges of the harness by buying those seat belt strap "protectors" for babies to wrap around the front straps. They look like this: http://store1.yimg.com/I/babyant_1848_5527341

ETA: I know all the agility dog folks my MIL runs with (she does them with her dogs) recommend crates, which is what we were going to do, but then I saw this on the Ruffrider website:

Are dogs safe in crates?
A crash test done by a German insurance company shows debris flying freely in the test car after the dog crate exploded on impact. The crate was fastened securely in the vehicle with the seatbelt. The crate exploded because the "dummy dog" hit the inside of the crate with incredible force. Remember that any loose object in the car is a potential missile.

[flygirl]

We have one that sounds just like ardathpaige's, from petsmart. It's comfortable, the safest harness we could find at petsmart, and allows our 52lb dog to move around while keeping her safely restrained.
http://www.petsmart.com/media/ps/images/products/detail/standard/July04/54917_39a59.jpg
Link: From Comfort Ride, at PetsMart (http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=84552444177 9741&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302032887&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023689&bmUID=1120862333123).

I've also heard great things about Ruff Rider.

[lml41981]

flygirl's harness is the same as the one we have...the ones my dogs get out of easily.

[red_fern]

We have both the seatbelt that flygirl posted and the Easy Rider. We ended up not liking the former. Our dogs could wiggle out of them and also ended up getting hot due to the fuzzy front. The Easy Rider fits our dogs (65 and 70 pound labs) nicely and they don't mind them at all.

[snowzilla]

Our poodle wears a harness that is very similar to the picture that flygirl posted, only without quite so much padding in the front (meaning, it's padded, but without as much sheepskin, which I'd imagine would be pretty warm). He is able to lay down with it on, and got used to it pretty quickly.

[katmg]

We have a "small" travel kennel that our Weim. uses in the car. It is much smaller than his regular crate and will fit in my car and DH's truck.

The dog's biggest complaint is that tater tots seem to get stuck in the side vents. He prefers that we order french fries on road trips.

[IrishMeg]

The dog's biggest complaint is that tater tots seem to get stuck in the side vents. He prefers that we order french fries on road trips.

LMAO! :D

[keska]

My husky actually chewed through the real seatbelt the first time I harnessed her in the car. Of course, I was too busy driving to notice that she was chomping on the seatbelt instead of the harness straps. :rolleyes:

[KeliAnn]

My boxer/black lab wears a seatbelt in the back seat ...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3d937b3127cce9c402e80191000000045108CZuHLFm5aA

When I get an SUV, I will put her in a crate, though. There's just not enough room in my small sedan.

[IrishMeg]

When I get an SUV, I will put her in a crate, though. There's just not enough room in my small sedan

Thats our plan, too. It's so hard fitting everyone into a little car.

[jh124]

We have the same harnesses that KeliAnn has. We have a 45lb dog and a 60 lb dog. If we get in an accident, they could get hurt. BUT if we get in an accident, it's more likely that they will fly around the car and hurt me, my DH, our soon-to-be DS, any other riders - you get my drift.

Yes, I love my dogs and care deeply for their safety, but I'm also concerned about the safety and protection of my family. If you have a 15 lb dog, you might get bruised, but there was a man killed in this area during an accident when his lab flew up and pinned him to his steering wheel. His seatbelt and air bag couldn't save him from the impact of his dog. Sad, but true. :(

[BethIrish]

When we first got Neala, I was a super-paranoid puppy Momma and put her in her harness-seat belt every time we got in the car. She hated it - got all worked up every time we put her in it....to the point where she would get all tangled up and start puking! We stopped putting her in it - I feel bad, but it is the only way she'll get in the car without getting upset.

Just a note to those of you who let their little dogs ride in their laps...my coworker's Yorkie was killed when the dog-sitter got in an accident and the dog was in her lap :( Be careful.

[Cookie777]

I have a seat belt for my dog. It's a harness with a full chest covering & has lambswool on it. She can't get out of it.

You just pull the seat belt through the top of it. I have a small bed for her that I use for the car. She has no problem with it.