All dog safety belts failed safety test!

[ironmike86]

Thats my only beef. For the test to say 100% failure. Without giving there procedures to the test. Or the harnesses tested. Without guessing what they maybe use???. Is misleading. I use a $300 harness. Theres $100 harness that will do minimal specs. I know this isnt the same but imo a good sturdy harness tight to an anchor isn't going to decapitate my 7# Yorkie. What was the weight of the dogs tested? Another unknown. I hate test like this. Sure whatever they did may have results but with what?? The $7 nylon harness that doesn't fit snug? What?? JMO

[Marhcarter]

I have no misconceptions that the little strap that connects Huey's harness to his car seat does anything other than keep him from jumping around the car. If I wanted to securely affix him to the seat, I would have him in something other than his snoozer-wannabe. I actually feel like he was much safer and more secure in his old basket-style Pet Gear seat despite it being so flimsy feeling and 1/4 the price of his current one. Several times I had brake hard and although that basket seat didn't have a strap connecting Huey, he was deep in the basket and even though he slid forward, he was caught by the soft netting. His current seat is so shallow, he would fly right out if I braked really hard. He seems much more nervous in this seat (he's not stupid...he figured out the same thing) and I am really thinking about buying another basket type for his safety and security.

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

Golly, a hardshell carrier seatbelted in place restrains the dog from distracting a driver, keeps it safe from the airbag - AND keeps doggie from flying around inside the car during a sudden stop or collision.

I like the idea of a hardshell carrier but in a basket configuration. Wonder where I might find one?

[Britster]

I saw a test similar to this before, last yr, unless it's the same one... not sure. But the videos were quite alarming. I really think the main purpose of the seatbelt harnesses for dogs is to keep the humans safe. Not the dogs themselves. Which is sad.

I was in a bad car accident with Jackson, he was not buckled in at the time, but in the back seat. I never allowed him on my lap- he's too big anyway. But he was loose in the back, all my seats were down so he had the whole back area. My car was totaled, he was absolutely fine, but I immediately went out and bought a snoozer car seat after the incident but to be honest, I'm not really sure it's any safer.

[Maximo]

I wish this organization would be more precise with their wording. It isn't really the harness that is of concern, although some harness designs hold a dog better than others and are probably less likely to cause injury in an accident. If the harness you use is good for walking and inescapable, it will likely be safe in the car accident.

The issue is the tether, the thing that secures the harness to the car. If it is too long, the dog can be thrown too far. If it is not sturdy, it will break on impact.

If I can swing my dogs on their leashes without the clip breaking, I wonder if the clip on a car seat tether would break on impact. That is the question.

[ironmike86]

IMO I see alot of actual fall protection test. With weighted harnesses landyard ect. Part of my job.= Ironworker. Watch them break the products. 5000# anchor point is needed. But thats just blah blah blah. My point is if the seatbelt is rated for a person. A secure harness well fitted. Which is most important or it won't work anyway. Probally how the dog got decapitated? Went around the neck? A good anchor. A small 7# + dog is gonna be no problem. Now if you have a large dog then I may look more into it. JMO I could be all wrong but thats how I look at it. fwiw my office http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f9...6/DSC06009.jpg

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by ironmike86

IMO I see alot of actual fall protection test. With weighted harnesses landyard ect. Part of my job.= Ironworker. Watch them break the products. 5000# anchor point is needed. But thats just blah blah blah. My point is if the seatbelt is rated for a person. A secure harness well fitted. Which is most important or it won't work anyway. Probally how the dog got decapitated? Went around the neck? A good anchor. A small 7# + dog is gonna be no problem. Now if you have a large dog then I may look more into it. JMO I could be all wrong but thats how I look at it. fwiw my office http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f9...6/DSC06009.jpg

Very good points. By the way, did you see these iron workers on top of the new World Trade building?
Port Authority releases photo of One WTC workers at dizzying heights - CBS News

[MishyMish]

Thanks for sharing this. I too would like to know who the manufacturers are.

[MishyMish]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

That last reason for calling it a "safety harness" is misleading. One would tend to automatically think anything called a "safety harness" would keep our dogs from flying around in the car as our seatbelts do. Instead, they are "safe" only because they restrain the dog? That's not much safety help in a violent collision.

Golly, a hardshell carrier seatbelted in place restrains the dog from distracting a driver, keeps it safe from the airbag - AND keeps doggie from flying around inside the car during a sudden stop or collision.

Yea but it doesnt keep the dog safe when they bang their head against that hardshell carrier at 40mph

[ironmike86]

Originally Posted by MishyMish

[/B]

Yea but it doesnt keep the dog safe when they bang their head against that hardshell carrier at 40mph

Good point. That what I was thinking they would just bounce around.Why I bought
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f9...86/Dog/134.jpg
The nylon webbing is 7/8 and wraps around the seat. The top is to make it more secure.It doesn't move away from the seat so it won't add any or much velocity in a crash. The tether fells pretty secure and Moki can only stand ,turn around ,sit and lay. it tight. Theres not much out there to choose from. If there is a safety rating it will triple the cost easily. Probably why they don't officially rate them? Dunno but if there is something better I would give it a look.Worst case beside the car going up in flames or a fatal car accident it will at least slow the pup from flying into the from seat or window I would hope. Vs nothing at all.JMO

[Yorkiedaze]

I'm confused as to why they even test harnesses in the first place since they were not releasing the names. Why get the dog owners all worked up with putting out a video like that. I almost feel angry with them. First there was a video showing how dangerous it is to transport pets in crates, now this??????? What in the world do they want us to do to protect our pets in a car anyway???? Wish they would start testing these travel harnesses and crates in earnest so we can be better informed.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Mishymish, At least his head doesn't doesn't have but 5-6 inches to go before it hits the front and his stuffed toy sits in the carrier front. It's not like it would be if he were flying from a torn loose harness and had to fly several feet before he hit the dash, building momentum. In his carrier, his big stuffed toys line the front, sides and rear and help cushion him. But the carrier keeps him within that tiny space, seatbelted in and no airbag or small projectile or blunt object is going to get to him in most crashes. All methods have drawbacks and lack something and at least flying projectiles and him flying for several feet before he slams into the dash with his body or skull suddenly, having built up quite a bit of momentum, as some methods allow. But those are not big worries with the seatbelted in airline carrier. Besides, once a dog slams into the dash, they often go into the windshield or miss the dash and go straight into the glass! The seatbelted airline carrier is as good as I can come up with - what the vet and several "dog" people said was safest and I've used that method since 1988. We've had some sudden stops but the stuffed bunny or teddy in the front has stopped my dog from hitting into anything hard. I just can't find anything that seems safer all things considered.

[appasquel]

I just bought a crate to put in Cachito buster sit and three big belts. I am going to put the crate with the door up and a matress inside for the buttom. One of the belts is going to go between the bars and all the way to the back of the sit. I going to put the sit belt thru the front of the crate too so it is really secure and tight Cachitos harness from two points from the crate to the harness sides. I know that this sounds crazy, but this post freak me out. I already being in a car crash someone bang me from the back and it was kinda hard good that Cachito didn't fly and stayed in his buster sit.

[ironmike86]

IMO as long as the harness is fitted well. Any method is better then just letting them run around the car.

[TresCutePiggies]

This has bothered me ever since I first saw it. As my husband (the nerdy engineer) puts it, it is just a matter of what will fail first/what is the weakest point. The tether, the buckle on the harness, the d-ring on the harness itself, the strap that holds the d-ring, etc. To my knowledge, the only successfully crash-tested car seat system out there is the Sleepy Pod, which is more like variation on a crate. Here are some of those videos: Sleepypod - YouTube

I didn't see this link posted (may have missed it), but the Center for Pet Safety is the one running all these tests: The Science of Pet Safety, Pet Product Testing, Crash Testing, Scientific Testing, Criteria, Pet Safety Advocate, PetSafety.

My girls are in Snoozers either attached with their car harnesses or Buddy Belts, but it sadly seems like that doesn't do much. I do agree it's better than nothing, and I really hope people who attach car seat tethers to the d-rings in clothing (not harnesses) will think twice about that too. I see that a lot, and it doesn't seem like that would hold up against much force at all.

[Sharonmarlow]

I think I found the test results and the products that were tested. Looks like there was one made by Bergen and another one from PetCo among the ones tested. Don't know for sure - but this looks promising:

V9DT