[ArlosMom]

I have been looking at the car seats for dogs for a little bit now. We take Arlo in the car enough to worry about an accident. They do happen, no matter how careful I drive myself.
That got me thinking, I have never looked over to my neighboring car, and saw a dog in a seat belt. They almost always have their heads out the window, etc.
Do any of you use these? Am I silly for thinking about it?

I would never forgive myself if something were to happen, and the only one injured/killed was my little guy. -- would a dog restraint even help in that kind of situation?

If you do use something, what do you like? What about those dog car seats?

 

[123fraggle]

We have always crated or seat belted our dogs in the car. Dogs cannot only get injured themselves, but can be projectile objects in an accident if they are not secured in the vehicle in some manner. Something to think about.

 

[firefly]

Both of my pups have harnesses from PetSmart. One has the label "Traveling Dog" and the other is "Easy Rider". They are different designs, but they both work pretty well. My husband still wanted them to see out the window, so he bought some hooks that attach to the harness and then to the seat belt to give them some more mobility. We buckle the seat belts in, then attach the harness to the hook, then the hook to the shoulder band of the seat belt. They are able to look out the windows and be secure at the same time. We got them after I was cut off in traffic and one of them flew head first from the backseat into the radio. Definitely worth the investment.

 

[Jpepper]

My dogs don't wear seat belts but the material vest I use on them in the woods comes from Australia and is made from seat belts. They haven't caught onto it yet here in America but they are very strong and protective from cuts etc...

 

[lisahi]

My dog wears a harness with a hook that attaches to the seatbelt. She also sits in a raised seat so she can see out of the window. The belt allows her some mobility, but if I stop suddenly, the worst that happens is that she winds up hanging over her seat from the harness, uninjured. That's happened just once.

 

[Charis]

We use harness that has a loop on the back to put the seat belt through. I like them. It keeps them in their places and not in my lap. It also keeps them from being thrown aroud in the car if I have to slam on the breaks.

 

[dagwall]

I use this tether attached to his harness and the metal clips for child safety seats in the back of the car.

Works well to keep him from being tossed around if I have to hit the brakes hard and he can comfortably see out the window or lay down.

 

[KodiBarracuda]

We don't harness, but we don't go with out dogs that often, maybe once a month (more like less) for no more than 15 miles one way (Kodi gets car sick). If we were on the road more with the dogs we would definitely consider a belt for them, not just for their safety but ours. There are terrible statistics about how many people are killed or seriously injured (including children killed and injured) from projectiles coming from the back of cars and even the cargo area of SUVs. These projectiles can be boxes, vacuums, groceries etc. and dogs.

 

[Red Fraggle]

We do a lot of highway driving and I have kids in the car. Not having a projectile dog seemed to be a priority for me.
Wembley has this: http://www.kurgostore.com/products/Tru%2dFit-Smart-Harness.html

I like it. Wembley often wears it for walks as well. The tether that loops into the seatbelt doubles as a traffic lead. He's my copilot every morning when I drop the kids at school. It's comfy for him and I feel like everyone in the car is safer for it.

 

[Fuzzy Pants]

I have something similar to what Dagwall uses. Kong makes some great harnesses with seat belt attachments too.

 

[BassetMixUp]

I'm a child passenger safety technician and the most commonly recomended (by fellow techs who research crash test data, etc) harness for dogs is the Bergan and the PetBuckle. I want to say it's because the parts used are IMMI but I'm not sure. I just took their word for it.

I have a Bergan.

 

[JulieK1967]

Because Molly is so small, we have a booster seat for her so she can see out the car windows, which seems to make her feel more secure:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3975659&lmdn=Dog

It is secured to the bench with the seatbelt and comes equipped with adjustable straps & strong clip for her Bergan harness:

http://www.BerganExperience.com/travelharness/index.htm

I wouldn't take her anywhere in the car without it.