The Joy of Car Safety: Pixel Product Review of the Kurgo Tru-Fit Smart Harness

You all know I love going places with Mommy. She takes me every place she possibly can, and I ride really well in the car with her. But she has always been concerned about my safety in a moving vehicle. What if something were to happen while she was driving? She wears a seatbelt to keep her secure in the car. But what about me? What kind of dog harnesses are available for travel safety?

Mommy had been actively seeking a car safety dog harness of some kind when Kurgo contacted us to review their new Kurgo Tru-Fit Smart Harness. It was as if they were reading her mind! Mommy measured me carefully, per their instructions, and within a short time I received an extra small black and orange harness. The packaging is very attractive and gives great details about each harness. You can actually feel the harness material through the box window.

As soon as Mommy took it out of the box, she could tell this was a top quality harness. The materials they use are heavy duty and rugged, yet the quality craftsmanship is very fine. The padded chest plate was thick and sturdy, fitting perfectly against my sternum when she placed it on me. There's a front centered "D-ring" that Kurgo designed into the harness so you can use it as a walking harness as well as a car safety harness. They do not recommend using this front D-ring for car safety use, so we left it alone while travelling in the vehicle.

The stitching was done with great care and each piece was meticulously sewn into place to ensure it would be strong, work well, and last for many years to come. Mommy really liked the nested buckles system for securely putting on and removing the harness. It was so easy to do once she got the hang of it! Just slip the smaller buckle piece into the larger piece, then pull it flat. It locks in place and is so secure. It's so easy, you can do it with one hand! The craftsmanship alone top notch, Mommy told me, "It's no wonder Kurgo gives the Tru-Fit Harness (and all their products) a lifetime warranty!"
There are several places to adjust the Tru-Fit Smart Harness to make a secure and perfect fit for your dog. Mommy had a bit of a tough time getting it to fit just right on me, so it still fit a little oddly or large on me, but it might just be that I'm a very slender girl. It certainly fit well enough for me to sit and lay down very comfortably in the car and at home while wearing it.

The harness comes with a high quality seat belt tether with a carabiner that attaches to the harness. The instruction sheet showed two ways to use the seat belt tether. Mommy preferred the way we have shown in the photo, where she looped the handle around the seat belt, and then passed the carabiner end back through itself and hooked it to the harness I was wearing. I was able to move freely in the seat, yet stay only in the seat and not move elsewhere in the vehicle.
Here is a video by Kurgo showing the Tru-Fit Smart Harness being tested with an 85 lb. crash test stuffed dog. According to Kurgo, this car safety harness has been dynamically tested and is engineered with your entire family's safety in mind. It is meant to keep your dog comfortably restrained in the vehicle during travel so they do not jump around and potentially distract the driver.
Mommy loved being able to reach over and pet me at any moment while driving, knowing I was safely restrained in the car.  One very important thing to keep in mind with this and any safety harness for pets: you cannot expect that it will prevent injury in case of an accident. You cannot expect that of any safety harness. Just as seatbelts don't necessarily prevent injury to people in cars, so the same can be said for any kind of pet restraining devices. However, if you DID get into a car accident, the Kurgo Tru-Fit Smart Harness would keep your beloved pet safely contained inside the vehicle while help arrived, and it would ensure that he or she would not run off and get lost after such a tragic event. And always make sure your pet travels at all times with proper identification on their person so if anything happens, you and your pet can be identified and reunited. THAT, to Mommy, is serious peace of mind!

The harness was quite comfortable for me after I wore it a little while. At first, the seam along my spine was very hard and pressed on my upper spine, which was worrisome to Mommy because I am having back issues. However, she took the harness and bent and manipulated the harness for a while to "soften up" the section that was creating pressure along my spine. It was better after that and I could wear it comfortably. In fact, I hardly knew it was on after a while because it's quite slim line in nature. I even took a few naps while wearing the Tru-Fit Smart Harness.

One of the nice things about the Tru-Fit Smart harness is that it easily doubles as a walking harness, so when travelling, you don't have to switch out from a safety dog harness to a walking harness every time you stop. Just unhook the seat belt clip and hook on the walking leash. It's that easy!

So, all in all, we give the Kurgo Tru-Fit Smart Harness two paws up for quality, craftsmanship and purpose. We only a few things on our "wish list" for it:
1. We wish it fit a little more securely around the neck for me, even though it has lots of ways to make it secure. I'm an 11 lb Mini Schnauzer and this was the smallest one they had, but I know it's possible.
2. We wish the top seam along the spine did not seem to press on the spine so much at first. However, as we all know, new things must be "broken in" first.
3. We wish the harness came in more colors than just black/orange trim and red/blue trim. The quality is so amazing, I'm thinking some really pretty colors would be fantastic. Royal blue anyone?
I hope you enjoyed my review of the Kurgo Tru-Fit Smart Harness. I can't wait to get one for each of my sisters. I think all dogs should be secure in a moving vehicle. Are yours? If your pets aren't traveling with a secure pet safety harness in your vehicles, don't wait friends. Try a Kurgo Tru-Fit Smart Harness for your pet. You'll be glad you did!
Go visit my friends at Kurgo on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram! They will be glad to hear from you and will answer any questions you may have. And don't forget to tell them Pixel Blue Eyes sent you!