Steering You Right with Sharon Peters
Q: We’re taking a long road trip in September and our two Australian Shepherds are coming. I’m finally convinced of the merits of having seatbelts for them. But the ones I saw in the pet store were flimsy. Do you know if there’s been any comparison testing or are you personally aware of what’s the best brand?
A: I, too, recently decided it was time to go the canine seatbelt route. Like you, I was motivated by a road trip (Denver to Minneapolis) even though I’m fully aware that most accidents, and therefore the greatest potential danger to dog passengers, occur close to home. Funny how the mind works.
Anyhow, I did some investigating and discovered that Forbes magazine had tested dog seatbelts. The conclusion: the most reliable, heaviest duty canine seatbelt is from Sleepypod (http://sleepypod.com/clickit).
Because some friends had made the Sleepypod Clickit Utility harness choice last fall and are satisfied, and Forbes did the hard work, I decided the case was pretty strong.
They’re pricey: about $100 plus shipping (sometimes you can find a “free shipping” coupon online if you Google). And certain colors or sizes seem to be out of stock frequently.
There are online instructions to guide you in measuring your dog and ordering the right size. A caution here: one of my dogs was clearly a “large” the other measured as a medium, but just barely, and when I entered his measurement into the online order form, it automatically bumped me to a large.
It turns out the large was too big, and because I had waited until the last minute I couldn’t use it for the trip. The one for the larger dog worked great with the adjustments shown on the instruction sheet. So if your dog is on the edge of a size, speak with customer service rep.
What I like about this harness: It attaches to the LATCH system (the same system use for child restraints), which gives two points of protection, and you also run the human seatbelt through the straps of the doggie harness for more holding power.
It takes some time to get a dog outfitted and latched in: maybe five minutes once you’ve practiced. Clancy didn’t love it at first. But he settled in pretty quickly and found it acceptable.
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What’s your question? Sharon Peters would like to hear about what’s on your mind when it comes to caring for, driving and repairing your vehicle. Email [email protected].