With all the love and joy they afford us daily, our pets deserve the best. Their presence alone can make our day and we should make sure to enhance their day as often as possible. This goes double for trips and drives we take with them. Although some dogs may be fine with riding shotgun, our region may have laws against that. There’s also a possibility that the road we are traveling through is too bumpy for the little guys, and we’d prefer they are inside of a safer container. The most frequent source of accommodation people seem to go for, and the most affordable one, are wire dog crates. However, we need to ask ourselves: are these crates actually safe?
Why you’d want a container for your dog during car rides?
Apart from the law and bad roads concerns, many pet owners may consider the cages unimportant for pets. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. The first reason why you would want to restrain your dog within a vehicle is to prevent them from distracting you while driving. The ride can be a stressful one even if the dog is usually calm during car trips. For example, a huge storm could disturb the animal or startle it which can result in it nudging us. The dog could also be provoked by something in the other vehicle, such as other animals. While the sudden barking and jumping may be a sign of friendliness towards the other pet, it’s a safety hazard to the driver. These distractions can easily cause an accident, that can endanger both our pet’s and our life.
That brings us to our next point. Unrestrained pets are more likely to be injured during a crash. The pet is most likely going to be flung forward even in minor accidents which could cause serious injury. If you’ve ever been in a fender bender you’ll know the sudden pull and shock that these types of accidents inflict upon our organism. Now imagine that on a creature that’s smaller and without a seatbelt. Cracked bones and bruising is the best possible outcome, while the possibility of more dangerous injuries is always present.
Lastly, the heavier dogs can pose a hazard to the human occupants during an accident. The force at which a dog can be flung through the car could seriously injure or even kill the human passengers. Even the smaller dogs could lead to life-threatening situations while being in a dangerous state themselves.
With all these consequences listed out, let’s see what can be done to make the trip safer for man’s best friend.
Use of wire cages
The typical cage that the pet owners use is the wire cage. While these cages could work at home or for urgent transport via plane, which is far safer than cars, they aren’t adequate restraint for cars. Sure, the dog will be kept inside of the cage and as such become unable to mess us up while we drive but it’s far from safe. Even if you get a bigger wire crate, you’ll find that the container isn’t made to handle car collisions. If the car happens to suffer an accident while a dog is inside of a wire cage, they could be further injured by the construction as they get launched into the walls of the cage. The cage could be too loosely fitted as well, sending the dog barreling forward together with the container.
If the cage itself suffers damage during the accident, it could become a hazard in on itself. The bent bits of the cage can turn into spikes that could cause some serious injury to our pets. This can further aggravate the dog, making their rescue even harder. The dogs can become aggressive and scared during accidents so making them even less cooperative is definitely not what we want. The comfort of the cage itself is very bad, leading to our dog having a really bad time while traveling. Even if it is covered in mats, the rest they get while sitting inside may not be as comfortable. The mats themselves cannot curb the uncomfortable road and the bumps that will constantly disturb our furry friend’s rest.
What should we replace the wire cage with?
You can’t leave the dog unrestrained and you can’t use a wire cage. What should you do then? Well, the correct way to go about restraining your dog is to get a container that’s fitting for them. These aren’t anything super special either, as a simple plastic kennel will do. Of course, simply picking up a kennel isn’t enough. You should make sure that the kennel can properly accommodate the dog. The kennel you pick out should allow your dog to sit up and lay down without bumping into its walls. Give them enough space to relax during car trips. The small kennels aren’t only unsafe, they can also be rather claustrophobic to our pets. Look up properly sized ones on billige-hundebur, as they possess a variety of options that can be neatly fitted into your car.
Plastic kennels won’t become a hazard during accidents like wire cages usually do. Even if it cracks, the plastic bits are going to give our dog scratches at worst rather than potentially stabbing into them as wire cages do.
The simple plastic wall is more comfortable to any dog than harsh wire found in wire cages. On top of that, we can make the kennel even more comfortable with a kennel mat or a blanket. If you want to afford your pet extra safety and make bumpy rides more comfortable for your pet, we suggest lining the kennel with foam. The foam will absorb the shock of bumps as well as provide additional protection during crashes.
By properly selecting a container to restraint our pets during car rides, we make the experience better for everybody, especially for our pet who is now chilling in their kennel. The kennels can also hold food and water for them without having them spill into the car itself, which makes it that much more convenient for those people who take long rides with their pets.