Pixel Shares Tips on The Joys of Safe Pet Travel

Holiday travel is winding down for many of us. Throughout the holiday season and all through the year, many pet parents and their fur babies are in vehicles scurrying about, bustling here and there, packing up and preparing to go see family and friends for holidays, vacations, or just to run errands around town. Most people with dogs love to bring them along on their adventures. In fact, a recent survey said that 5 out of 6 dogs went 'on the road' this past holiday season!

How often have you thought about your dog's safety in the car? I know you are all excellent pet parents, but sometimes pet vehicle safety is an uncertain subject. That is why we have National Pet Travel Safety Day, and why I wanted to share some helpful information to prepare you for some of the hazards and distractions that can occur when travelling with one or more dogs in a vehicle.

Many dogs are very good in the vehicle when it is moving, however distractions can come in a moment's notice. For example, I'm excellent in the car for Mommy, however I have a weakness once we get into town and come to a stop light close to a parking lot. If someone looks in the car wrong, or if someone is walking 3 blocks away with their back to me, I sound the alarm and start howling...startling the dickens out of all car passengers. It's just the Schnauzer in me and something Mommy and I are constantly working on. However, if I wasn't sitting securely with my seat belt on, and someone perhaps hit the car from behind, I could go get knocked off my feet in the car, fall down or go flying.

All dogs should be secured in one form or another while the car is in motion to ensure the safety of both the dogs, the drivers and the passengers. When I travel in the car, I always wear my Kurgo Tru-Fit Smart Seat Belt Harness so that I am secure in the vehicle at all times. (You can read my detailed review of the Kurgo Tru-Fit Seat Belt Harness here.) Some dogs travel in car seats, like my friends Arlie Jo and her brother Irvin. Her sister Roxy sits securely in the middle. Arlie Jo's Mom Connie takes them every Sunday for Cheeseburgers. It's a very special outing that they all love, as you can tell by their faces in this photo!

I say that car safety is of the utmost importance because if, God forbid, a car accident does occur, both pets and humans can become tragically injured. Pets also can also easily become lost after a car accident. We've seen this time and again. Mommy has personally helped several families who lost beloved pet family members who were not secured in a moving car. Their dogs either escaped or got thrown from the car during an accident, ran off and several did not have a happy reunion ending. These tragic true stories have made Mommy overwhelmingly avid about making sure I am safe in the car.
Pixel's Top 5 Dog Travel Safety Tips - traveling in a car with your pet:
1. Make sure your pet wears a harness/collar with identification on it. THIS IS MY MOST IMPORTANT TIP. Make sure the ID tags include Pet Name, Pet Parent Name, Address, at least 2 Phone Numbers, and Vet Name (if you have the room), plus anything else that might be helpful. I have a two sided ID tag that allows all that information to be printed on it. PetTags4Less.com is one website with double sided aluminum ID tags for dogs that come in many styles and colors. Mommy won't even let me walk out of the house, she won't even carry me out of the house unless I'm wearing identification that is not easily removable. If I were to get lost during a car accident, that ID tag could people bring me home.
2. Once inside the vehicle, make sure your pet is secured to the seat either straight to the seat belt or in a car seat, which should be securely attached to the seat or seat belt as well. Don't let them walk or jump around inside a moving vehicle. That is very dangerous for all involved, no matter how skilled a driver you may be.
3.  Don't let your pet hang their head outside the window while driving (no matter how fun or cute it is). Think of what could happen if a stray rock or worse flew into your dog's eye or face. And the intense wind is not good for our lungs in all honesty either. Sad but true.
4. Make sure to carry fresh water and a small drinking bowl for your pet so they can have a fresh drink any time you stop.
5. Try not to have your pet travel on a full stomach. If they are nervous travelers or have queasy stomachs, you don't want to see their lunch come back on your seat. If you must feed them, feed them lightly so their hunger is satisfied but save any full meal for later after you are off the road, unless that cannot be avoided.
Some dogs love traveling in the car, others get very nervous. Some pets might start out very nervous about traveling when they are young, but end up loving every second of a car ride. And yet still other dogs might love riding in vehicles their whole lives, then as they get old and into their senior years, with failing health, suddenly become anxious when riding in a vehicle. That happened with my older sister Morgan. She traveled across the entire continent with Mommy for years in a truck with no problems, but once she hit 14 years old, she suddenly became unable to travel in a car without extreme anxiety. You just need to read your pet, and adjust things accordingly.

Trust me, us dogs are very adaptive. Our main goal is to always be with you, so anything that you can do to ensure we stay with you safely...will make us happy. Do you have any additional tips or advice you'd like to share? I'd love to hear about it. Leave me a comment and I'll add it to the list.

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!