Dear Yorkie Talk members who travel with their Yorkies by Car, Please read this post, so that you can be informed of potential safety issues concerning car safety devices for pets.
The
Center for Pet Safety have done crash testing on car harnesses, carriers/crates, and just did a car seat study. I will provide links below, but the long and the short of it is that all car seats failed their tests.
The good news is that there are two carriers that passed and are appropriate for most Yorkies. For our larger canine friends (over 15 lbs) there is a great harness that passed.
Please note that though dummies are used in the videos, the images can be disturbing.
Pet seat pilot study:
Pet Seat Pilot Study - Center for Pet Safety
Carrier study results (as per their studies, carriers are the best choice for dogs under 15 lbs)
2015 Carrier Study Results - Center for Pet Safety
Harness study results (as per their studies, harnesses are the best choice for dogs over 15lbs)
2013 Harness Study - Quasi-Static Tests - Center for Pet Safety
Based on the information I got from these studies, I took a trip up to Sleepypod (an hour from my home) and purchased two medium Mobile Pet Beds. There is loads of room for my 4.5lb and 5.25lb yorkies in each and the dogs seem very comfortable in them. Though you can carry these (there is a strap included) they are not very subtle visually and the round shape would make carrying for an extensive length of time difficult. The other carrier that passed the test, by PetEgo, looks to be suitable for the plane and an easier carrying shape, though more complicated for use in the car.
As a side note, I was really impressed with the Sleepypod Air, and will be considering purchasing that at a later stage for air travel. It has not been tested by the Center for Pet Safety yet for Car Travel, but the safety system is similar to the Mobile Pet Bed.
Hopefully this information will help everyone to make informed choices for travel with their Yorkies!
You also may wish to watch an informative report on the issues with the Pet Industry and safety that recently showed on Good Morning America:
bcnews.go.com/GMA/video/safety-concerns-raised-travel-carriers-pets-32660670
And one from the Today Show:
Pet owner alert: Most restraints for pets in cars fail crash tests - TODAY.com