Dog car harnesses

[Kimmikins]

Sara normally travels in the boot of my little Clio - we take out the parcel shelf so she has that whole area to herself. That's fine for short journeys, but for longer ones we really need to invest in a suitable travel situation.

Crates are one possibility, but because she's quite tall, any we get would need to be big enough for her to sit up in as we travel (she doesn't lay down often, she's not a car chiller!) and as that would be the only time we ever used one for her, I don't really see the point.

Car harnesses are where we think we're going to look. Because then you can use them as an intermediate thing to clip the lead to if you needed to e.g. broken down and need her out of the car, car accident etc (heaven forbid!) Do any of you have any suggestions? It needs to be one that doesn't have a skinny single strap down the middle of the chest, because she has a very prominent chest bone and they can damage them.

[Adrianne]

the ones i use are a seatbelt attachment, rather than a special harness - they clip to any harness that your dog is wearing (with a clip on the dogs back) for no-pull harnesses you slip the attachment through the harness - in between dog and harness and plug in to seatbelt holder..just unclip and clip the lead on when you want to get out..Cupes can sit up front with me with the windows down safely wearing one of those, and I have two for the back of the car for clients dogs.

[Kimmikins]

She already has a harness, a Hurtta Lifeguard one that matches her collar, but it looks quite skinny and I worry what damage it would do in an accident or sudden braking. I've asked sarahhound about the ones she uses for her pups, and they are the no-pull variety so will have a look at those too to use with a seatbelt attachment.

[Adrianne]

...if you let them sit up-front don't forget to disable the airbag, an airbag can kill a dog, one of our friends had an airbag go off after a car hit his while he was parked and the burns from it have scarred his arm permanently where it took his skin off.

[Kimmikins]

Yikes! I will definitely remember that one, scrumpy sits up front if it's just me in the car, otherwise they both go in the back seat/boot.

[Kimmikins]

We've gone for a Bergen one that's car tested and has a really wide chest pad that seems to sit nicely on her chest. It gets attached to the car by clipping on an attachment via a caribiner and at the other end is another caribiner that attaches to the isofix of a car (where you'd attach a child's car seat)