Exceptions To Securing Dog In Car?

[jocoyn]

True.....plush in a wreck who knows what they will do.

[GrammaD]

Just as an FYI. If you go the extra mile and have expensive crate/restraint systems installed contact your insurance carrier and get a rider. They will not be covered under normal collision or comprehensive coverage.

Here is about 4k worth of custom built in aluminum crates going up in flames after my husband hit a deer on the highway- the battery was shoved back into the AC fan and sparked a fire- complete freak accident and no people or dogs were hurt. But we found about the insurance the hard way. Ouch

[huntergreen]

kyleigh, have you considered giving up driving ? lol

[Kyleigh]

LMAO ... you would think eh? I've only been hurt once ... and that wasn't even very bad ... I had whiplash, and was fine 2 months later ... go figure, I think I'm made of Jello!

[Mooch]

GrammaD seeing that picture just gave me horrible goosebumps - did you not have dogs in the car or were you able to get them out?? That is my biggest horror with having them in metal boxes - that I may not be able to get them out in that sort of scenario *shudder*

As for having the crates sidewise against the back seat I think the idea was that there's more surface area to absorb the impact and not have the crate break - they also recommend to fasten the seat belts on the back seats (even if you don't have anyone sitting in the back) to help absorb the impact of the crate against the seats.

[hunterisgreat]

My welded aluminum crate survived totaling my Tacoma. Now I have a steel framed trailer (4 dogs won't fit in the crate, nice as it is)

[DJEtzel]

I just saw this. I guess, growing up in the country, I didn't realize that so many people did restrain their dogs. When I was growing up, we put the family dog in the back of the pick up and that was that. I wouldn't dare do that with my dogs now and in the city, but it's a lot different from what "city" people do for sure, even back then I'm assuming. My dogs never get crated in my car. I can't fit airline crates in it big enough for them, and quite frankly, I don't have the time or energy to keep moving crates in and out every day. Wire crates from what I hear don't work well in a car because they can break and puncture a dog, and I can't fit enough wire crates in my car of the right sizes for my dogs, either. Plus, I need to see out. I've tried harnesses; the dogs chew through them in the car if I go inside anywhere or it's a long drive and get tangled in each other to where they can't move. I'm 10x more distracted if my dog is in a harness, making sure they can move still and aren't tangled or chewing, than I am driving with them loose.

If my car were to go up in flames and I was knocked unconcious, I'd rather my dogs be running the streets/wilderness with tags and microchips than stuck dying in the back seat of my car.

That said, I've been in a few close call/almost accidents that were pretty scare and involved sudden stops, the dogs just roll off their seats onto the floorboard- I don't permit them to sit or stand, let alone move in the car. They lay down and stay there until we stop. Much better than rolling crates (which has happened before with fosters that I DID have to crate in the car) or not being able to see out of my car, imo.

[GrammaD]

Originally Posted by Mooch

GrammaD seeing that picture just gave me horrible goosebumps - did you not have dogs in the car or were you able to get them out?? That is my biggest horror with having them in metal boxes - that I may not be able to get them out in that sort of scenario *shudder*

The dogs were not in the van since it was a work related trip. There would have been plenty of time with this set of circumstances to get the dogs out- no human injuries so with help from people who stopped my husband was able to get the majority of his equipment out and the dogs would have, frankly, been easier than moving a CT tube

I guess my feeling is no matter how you transport there will be a risk. There was an agility handler who lost a number of dogs to an accident just this past summer. They were unrestrained in the car. And I can recall a horror of a story with a sheltie handler in the 90's who lost a van load of dogs to fire with them crated.

All we can do is restrain as we see fit, drive carefully and hope other people on the road will too, and be prepared with easily accessible leashes in the case of an accident.

I crate because I don't like the dogs moving around as I drive, I think that creates its own hazard, and I don't want a dog to become a lethal projectile in an accident. To my way of thinking the only thing worse than losing a dog to an accident is losing the dog as it takes out or severely injures a human being.

And I drive like a Grandma carrying precious cargo- because that's what I am

[jocoyn]

From another Grandma carrying precious cargo....do you lock your welded boxes with the key? I am rethinking that maybe I should only secure the latch because fumbling with a key in an accident may cause a too long delay.

Yes, you can only do what is sensbile. My first priority is my safety (and my passengers) then the dogs.

[GrammaD]

I only locked my boxes when we were stopped and I was out of/ away from the vehicle. Fumbling for/with a key is one concern, so is the ability of another person to rescue my dogs should I be incapacitated. I keep slip leads on hooks on the front of crates too. I need to get a new set up because I am sick of dealing with plastic carriers and straps. Just need to come up with a "spare" 4k