What is your favorite pet? Whether it is a lovely dog or a cute feline, you no doubt love it as a dear member of your family.
You want to be with them wherever you go, be it a vacation or a pick nick. To carry them around though presents a unique challenge.
In this article, I’ll share with you safety tips you can use as you plan to travel with your pets.
Let us dive right in.
1) Restrain Your Pet
Although you love your pet so much as you do your child, they are not humans. As you drive, you need to confine them.
To avoid distraction is a safety precaution as you drive, lest you cause avoidable accidents and endanger your lives.
When your pet is unrestrained, it endangers its life. It can get injured whenever the car brakes instantly.
An excited mongrel can jump out through the window of a fast-moving car. It can cause serious injuries or death.
There are many ways to restrain your dog in the car. Let’s look at 5 of them:
Travel Dog Crate
When you want your dog to be safe and comfortable while moving around, then you need to get the correct size of Travel Dog Crate. It should allow him to sit, lie-down, stand and turn around.
Put some soft mattresses or clean blankets. Ensure that the crate does not move about whenever the car shakes. Fasten it to the back seats firmly and ensure the dog gets enough air to avoid suffocation.
You must introduce your dog to its crate days before the expected day of travel. Let him play with it, sleep in it.
Dog Seat Belt
Dog seat belt is the easiest way to keep your dog safe in the back seat. Dog seat belts and car seat belt slots are inter-lockable. The design makes it easy to secure and loosen your dog.
Back Seat Barrier
It shields the dog from getting to the front seats of the car. It also leaves it with the freedom to play at the backseat. Back Seat Barrier is made of a plastic mesh that covers the back of the two front seats and the gap between them.
It is an effective and the simplest way to keep your pet happy and out of your way as you drive.
Zipline Dog Harness
Unlike dog seat belts, Zipline Dog Harness allows him freedom of movement across the back seat. They can neither jump out of the moving car nor to the front seats.
It is one of the easiest ways to control your pet as they don’t get so confined, numb, and tired. They have enough wriggle room to move about and are comfortable than in case of dog seat belts.
Pet Car Seat
These seats are ideal for dogs that are less than 20lbs. They are easy to fix at the back seats and have extra padding. Your pet can snuggle in and enjoy the ride. Washable material that’s easy to clean is used to make Pet Car Seats, and come with short leashes to secure your pet inside the car.
2) Cat Carriers For Cats
Cats, Pups, and small dogs like French Bulldog, Dachshunds, and Corgis must be in cat carriers. Cat carriers must be placed in the best way possible to avoid lots of movement when the car moves on bumpy roads or brakes suddenly.
Correct size — Ensure your cats can move a little, but snug in a way that they don’t fall over the sides.
Top Opened carriers are convenient when you lower your cat in or open for them to come out.
Ventilation — ensure at least two open sides to allow enough air circulation to avoid suffocation and overheat.
3) Front Seats for Humans
For the safety of your pets and yourself, you should keep your pets in the back seat. Imagine what would happen if there was an accident. Your pet can die due to pressure from busted airbags.
Besides, when it is raining, and your car wipers are busy, cats would try to play with them. It means blocking your view resulting in an accident.
You can end up in an accident if your helpful dog decides it wants to help in steering or your cat decides to get under your busy feet.
Preserve front seat for your spouse, children, or a human friend.
4) Dog Clothes and Cat Clothes (For The Right Whether)
Just as you would not travel to a chilly place without warm clothing, also include dog clothes in their Dog Bag.
When the weather is so cold, your dog will not be comfortable or as playful as usual when it’s sunny and warm.
There are customized warm dog clothes that are not only cute but make your dog feel comfortable and relaxed. These include dog trench coats, jackets, sweaters, shirts, and T-shirts.
Image by Pezibear from Pixabay
5) Do Not Leave Your Pet Unattended
To avoid any incident of your dog getting stressed, do not leave him in the car for more than 10 minutes. Sometimes the heat in the car surge to high degrees (up to 490 Celsius). It spells a disaster for your pet. It can lead to heat stress then, heatstroke, and death.
Even when the windows are open, heat may still go up when the car is stationary.
If you have to leave it for more than 10 minutes, ensure you have left another person to take care of your pet.
6) Always Use Leash to Walk Your Dog
During stop-overs for your dog to relieve itself, never walk your dog without a leash. It can behave differently in a different environment. Your dog may feel uncomfortable, threatened by strangers, and can attack without warning. For safety to others, it is wise to make sure you can control him by the use of a reliable leash.
If need be, carry an extra leash for your dog, just in case one snap or gets misplaced.
Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash
7) Have Another Human Companion
When on a long journey, have another person accompany you. It is practical as he can always calm down your pet in case it gets excited as you drive.
Whenever you stop along the way, you can leave your pet in the care of your companion.
So, you can make your travel as comfortable as possible and have that vacation together with your family — including your lovely pet.
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by:
Simon Kim of vitexwriters@gmail.com
