Anonymous wrote:Unless you're going to a dog park or to some other dog-designated area, leave them at home. Saw a family with a pit mix in the grocery store the other night. Dog people are out of control.

You do realize that no dog person cares for your opinion, right?

How is that comment in any way relevant? Was it on a retractable leash? Go back to the other forums and leave the non-speciesists alone.

Unless you're going to a dog park or to some other dog-designated area, leave them at home. Saw a family with a pit mix in the grocery store the other night. Dog people are out of control.

Anonymous wrote:Think I may have read that dog car harnesses causes injuries or death in car crashes. I'll try to find a link and post it. Also, those who use carrier crates need to secure them to the car. A friend of mine was in a car crash and the carrier flew out of the vehicle. Luckily the bunny survived but was traumatized from the experience.

Vet said they have seen severe injuries. Also dogs should never ride in front seats . Dead yorkie: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/general-yorkshire-terrier-discussion/220136-dogs-airbag-danger.html Airline plastic crate in the back of an suv is the safest.

Anonymous wrote:Securely crated in the cargo area of my small suv. I do not want her becoming a projectile in an accident. She cried and whined the first few weeks of being crated instead of loose, but stuffed Kong's and bully sticks helped make the car crate a happy place. She now eagerly jumps in on her own and will settle there for hours long trips. We drive all over the region for agility trials--it important to me that she stay safe.

Ditto. My dogs are crated in the cargo area of my minivan. They jump in eagerly and they settle in for long rides. I also do dog sports, and sometimes they are so quiet back there that I am afraid I forgot them at home when I am on my way to class or a trial!

I don't think it's safe, for the dogs or the human passengers, to have loose dogs in the car. I would not let my child ride in a car with an uncrated dog. I do not put much faith in those harnesses or barriers, either.

For short trips, my dog sits on the seat, unharnessed. For longer trips, I attach my dog's harness to the seatbelt in the back of our minivan.

I realize this may not be the safest way to travel with the dog, but I'm talking about very short hops to school and back, mostly. No highway driving.

Someone gave me a dog harness, but it was so complicated to use that we gave up on it. I'll look into the one CR recommends. I do not want my dog becoming a projectile! Or getting loose in the event of an accident.

I consider myself a very responsible and attentive dog owner. But this is one area I think I should be a bit more careful. I'd never let my kids ride without a seat belt, so I ought to do the same for my dog!

My dog roams free because she is a dog Houdini and can get out of every seatbelt we have tried. After years of putting on a harness, tightening it, checking it and being sure it is snug. We get to our destination and she is sitting there sans harness, and the harness is a twisted mess next to her.

On the roof of course!

Anonymous wrote:Back of SUV, with one of those gates to keep the smaller one from climbing into the backseat. They generally fall asleep (and snore!) after five minutes.

This made me laugh! It's nice to know they are so comfortable in the car they snooze. Plus, you know they won't roam because you hear the snoring.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We do lots of short trips to parks, two hour trips to visit relatives. She is 30 lbs and always harnessed using a pet harness designed for use in cars. She is well behaved in the car--the harness is for safety in case of an accident. Your kid is in a car seat, why wouldn't you do the same for your pet? And I have heard terrible accounts of dogs surviving car accidents only to be run over and killed when they jump out of a damaged vehicle into oncoming traffic in the chaotic aftermath. Unsecured pets have irresponsible owners.

Ok, calling owners of pets that are unsecured in a car irresponsible is completely unnecessary. You have no way of knowing that.

Wait. Yes she does. Anyone who says he/she lets the dog roam free in a car IS irresponsible, at least in this area. It is not safe for the animal or the driver.

Really, it is not safe for anyone. An unsecured dog is going to become a missile[i] in case of an accident or a sudden stop from high speeds. There is no real two sides to this. You need to secure your dog, and ideally, it would be in some form of a doggie seatbelt.

Well I guess I will just have to stop allowing my dog in the car then. Because some are saying the harnesses are unsafe, and some insist they need to be in a harness...

Consumer Reports recommends only one type of harness:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/10/pet-restraints-may-be-inadequate-in-a-crash/index.htm

Anonymous wrote:Roaming free. I can't imagine not letting my dog enjoy the sheer fun of sticking his face out the window and feeling the breeze!

Dangerous.

http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/lifestyle/dogs-cars-should-my-dog-hang-his-head-out-car-window

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We do lots of short trips to parks, two hour trips to visit relatives. She is 30 lbs and always harnessed using a pet harness designed for use in cars. She is well behaved in the car--the harness is for safety in case of an accident. Your kid is in a car seat, why wouldn't you do the same for your pet? And I have heard terrible accounts of dogs surviving car accidents only to be run over and killed when they jump out of a damaged vehicle into oncoming traffic in the chaotic aftermath. Unsecured pets have irresponsible owners.

Ok, calling owners of pets that are unsecured in a car irresponsible is completely unnecessary. You have no way of knowing that.

No.

It is very clear they are irresponsible owners.

I actually saw this very thing happen. A car was in an accident, dog was thrown from the back seat out the window, landed in the road, got up to run away, and was hit by an oncoming car and killed. Horrible, just horrible.

Our dog rides in her crate in the back of the car.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We do lots of short trips to parks, two hour trips to visit relatives. She is 30 lbs and always harnessed using a pet harness designed for use in cars. She is well behaved in the car--the harness is for safety in case of an accident. Your kid is in a car seat, why wouldn't you do the same for your pet? And I have heard terrible accounts of dogs surviving car accidents only to be run over and killed when they jump out of a damaged vehicle into oncoming traffic in the chaotic aftermath. Unsecured pets have irresponsible owners.

Ok, calling owners of pets that are unsecured in a car irresponsible is completely unnecessary. You have no way of knowing that.

Wait. Yes she does. Anyone who says he/she lets the dog roam free in a car IS irresponsible, at least in this area. It is not safe for the animal or the driver.

Really, it is not safe for anyone. An unsecured dog is going to become a missile[i] in case of an accident or a sudden stop from high speeds. There is no real two sides to this. You need to secure your dog, and ideally, it would be in some form of a doggie seatbelt.

Anonymous wrote:Free in the trunk. Otherwise we have a whining dog the whole trip. She's very well behaved and happy back there. She's medium in size and we leave enough room for her to stretch out/lie down.

Mitt Romney, I am so glad you learned your lesson.