It’s a perfect day to go exploring! And your dog is all for climbing into his pet carrier since he’s uber excited about the adventure that lies ahead. With his favorite toys and delicious snacks onboard, you’ve got all of the necessary ingredients for a good time. Your plans sound awesome, but hold on a minute! You’re overlooking one very important detail--just how safe is your pet carrier? Will it protect your faithful companion in the event of a crash?
Photo credit: Bigstock
We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but we must. To ensure the safety of pets everywhere Fetch Pet Care feels a responsibility to keep loving pet owners informed. It is our hope that discussions like the one we’re about to have will save lives. You can help just by taking the following information to heart and sharing it with every pet lover you know.
Dog Crate and Pet Carrier Safety
Did you know that there is no set standard for testing the performance of pet carriers or travel crates in the United States? We hope that this will change soon, but, until it does, it’s up to each one of us to research and compare options in order to determine which pet carrier is safest for our cuddle buddies.
Luckily, the Center for Pet Safety (CPS) agrees with us on this matter, as does Subaru. In fact, both are so deeply committed to pet safety that Subaru recently provided funding for CPS to perform rigorous crash testing using pet crates, small carriers and doggie dummies to find out just how vulnerable dogs are when riding inside of a pet carrier. While the results were shocking, they were also quite informative. In the end, it was even discovered that some carriers outperformed others in overall safety.
Before we tell you which pet carrier fared the best, we want you to take a closer look at the actual testing. The videos you’re about to watch are disturbing, but we want to remind you that no actual animals were used at any time. Performed by an independent third-party testing laboratory, MGA Research Corporation, here’s what happens when a car crash happens while dogs are being transported inside a typical pet carrier or dog crate:
See what we mean? Difficult to watch, but the testing raises an awareness that you might not otherwise have about pet carrier safety. By now, you’re probably wondering what other options you have? Do you forego future outings altogether? Or is there an alternative way to keep your pets safe while on the road?
Photo credit: Bigstock
Which Carrier is Safest?
While many manufacturers will claim that their pet carrier is safe, unless there are uniform safety and performance standards in place, how can you really be sure? We do not endorse any particular product or brand, but we sure are glad that CPS and Subaru sought to offer a few possible solutions. It is our pleasure to report that the following carriers actually did seem to perform better than others:
Gunner Kennels G1 with 8-inch connection straps (for large dogs)
Sleepypod Mobile Pet Bed with the handilock feature (for small pets)
Pet Ego Form Frame Jet Set with the isofix latch connection (for small pets)
Your Pet Carrier
Which pet carrier do you trust when you take your pooch on an outing? Are you confident that it will protect your beloved in the unlikely event of a crash? Do the results of the testing performed by the Center for Pet Safety surprise you?
Fetch Pet Care recently published another warning about dog harness safety that you’ll certainly want to read asap. Remember to also share this important warning with every pet lover on your contact list and with all of your social media friends. Doing so just might help save a precious life!
By Laura Root
Photos courtesy of Jackson & Perkins
Gardeners are always thinking ahead to the next season or the next year. And, fall is the ideal time to think about spring. Flowering shrubs, perennials and spring bulbs are great choices.
Click here for an interesting article about spring bulbs.
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