Pet Carrier Safety Warning
How safe is your pet carrier?
It’s a beautiful day to go exploring, and your dog is all for climbing into his pet carrier as he’s excited about the adventure that lies ahead. With his favorite blanket, a few toys and delicious snacks onboard, you’ve got all the makings of a good time. Your plans sound wonderful, but 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?
We don’t like to be the bearers of bad news, but to ensure the safety of pets everywhere we feel 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. With this in mind, please take the following information seriously and share it with everyone 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 diligently research and compare options in an effort to determine which pet carrier is safest for our pet.
Luckily, the Center for Pet Safety (CPS) agrees with us on this matter as does Subaru. In fact, both are so wholeheartedly committed to pet safety that Subaru recently provided funding for CPS to perform rigorous crash testing using pet crates, small carriers and doggie dummies in an effort to find out just how vulnerable dogs are when riding inside of an average pet carrier. While the results were devastating, they were also quite informative. In the end, it was even discovered that some carriers outperformed others in overall safety.
Before we get into which pet carrier fared the best, let’s take a closer look at the actual testing. While the videos you’re about to watch are disturbing, 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?
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? Fetch! Pet Care doesn’t endorse any particular product or brand, but we sure are glad that CPS and Subaru sought to offer a few possible solutions. We are pleased 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? Let’s discuss your thoughts and comments below. Oh and please remember to 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!
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