I may soon have to make a coast-to-coast driving trip and will need to take
my dogs with me. To be sure they're safe, I was planning on investing in
doggy seatbelts. (From what I've read, pens inside the vehicle are not good,
because the pen can fly around if the vehicle is struck or rolled.)

My question is this: can dogs lie down on the seat once they're strapped
into one of these seatbelts? (The belts are actually more like harnesses
that go around the dog's chest, and then that harness is strapped into the
vehicle's seat belt.) The packages and websites all show cute dogs sitting
in the seats, but I don't know if that's just to show happy dogs in their
belts.

On a 2,700-mile trip, if the dogs can't lie down, I could see that as a
major problem.

I would be interested in hearing from others who have used this harness-type
seatbelt.

TIA

"DogLover" wrote in message
link.net...
I may soon have to make a coast-to-coast driving trip and will need to take
my dogs with me. To be sure they're safe, I was planning on investing in
doggy seatbelts. (From what I've read, pens inside the vehicle are not
good, because the pen can fly around if the vehicle is struck or rolled.)

My question is this: can dogs lie down on the seat once they're strapped
into one of these seatbelts? (The belts are actually more like harnesses
that go around the dog's chest, and then that harness is strapped into the
vehicle's seat belt.) The packages and websites all show cute dogs sitting
in the seats, but I don't know if that's just to show happy dogs in their
belts.

On a 2,700-mile trip, if the dogs can't lie down, I could see that as a
major problem.

I would be interested in hearing from others who have used this
harness-type seatbelt.

TIA


We have used a seatbelt for years - and traveled 12 hours north and 12 hours
south, yearly. It took us awhile to find one that worked.

No good: the ones you need to pass the seatbelt through the loop on the
doggy seatbelt. Result: Dog's legs get tangled in the mess of the shoulder
harness and car seatbelt.

Good: the one that snaps directly into the seat belt receptica and is
basically a short leash. Ours is adjustable. Atty can move around the back
seat, lay down, walk from side to side, depending on how long I make it, she
can even lay on the floor (although we don't let her).

We took the one above (no good), cut off the loop, and had a leather maker
add an additional leash connector to it. It now works by connecting one end
to the child tether on the back window ledge. Although, I suppose she could
torpedo through the back window if we were in an accident that propelled her
that way.

Crates need to be secured so they don't fly around. I don't know which
option would be better, but I do know that the seatbelt is better than
nothing. Just DON'T connect it to a collar - use a harness.


Sue and Atty

on Mon, 26 Mar 2007 10:47:31 GMT, "Sue and Atty"
wrote:

We have used a seatbelt for years - and traveled 12 hours north and 12
hours south, yearly. It took us awhile to find one that worked.

No good: the ones you need to pass the seatbelt through the loop on
the doggy seatbelt. Result: Dog's legs get tangled in the mess of
the shoulder harness and car seatbelt.

That's the same problem I had. I solved it by clipping the harness to a
length of nylon webbing (a leash will do) and clipping that to the child
seat tether on the back dash, just above the headrest. I use a
carabiner, but a good knot will do, too. I made the webbing long enough
so that Roxy can lay down, but not so long that she can get off the seat.
It's working perfectly, and I will clip the puppy in the same way to the
other one.

Good: the one that snaps directly into the seat belt receptica and is
basically a short leash. Ours is adjustable. Atty can move around
the back seat, lay down, walk from side to side, depending on how long
I make it, she can even lay on the floor (although we don't let her).

We took the one above (no good), cut off the loop, and had a leather
maker add an additional leash connector to it. It now works by
connecting one end to the child tether on the back window ledge.
Although, I suppose she could torpedo through the back window if we
were in an accident that propelled her that way.

Well I should have read ahead! I never thought of the risk of going
through the back window...

Crates need to be secured so they don't fly around. I don't know
which option would be better, but I do know that the seatbelt is
better than nothing. Just DON'T connect it to a collar - use a
harness.

Worth repeating!

--
Lynne

"montana wildhack" wrote in message
news:2007032616075850073-montana@wildhackcominvalid...
On 2007-03-26 06:47:31 -0400, "Sue and Atty" said:

No good: the ones you need to pass the seatbelt through the loop on the
doggy seatbelt. Result: Dog's legs get tangled in the mess of the
shoulder harness and car seatbelt.

After the first trip around town, we didn't have this problem. That
doesn't mean I think they are safe or wonderful, mind you. They do let the
dog lie down, but they don't give them a lot of access other than sitting
and lying in one place.

Until we find the "Good: the one that snaps directly into the seat belt
receptica and is basically a short leash. Ours is adjustable." kind, we
use the loop through the seat belt kind for short trips.

I did some googling and came up with these:

the type that Atty doesn't get tangled in:
http://www.hunterk9.com/site/870877/product/SB14978
This isn't the brand we have, but it's the kind. Mine has a reversable seat
belt attachment, that works in most cars. I noticed one on this site
mentioned that it wouldn't work with certain cars - so you should check that
out. I suppose she could step on it and release it, but she hasn't.

type to put on the child catch latches the new cars have:
http://www.hunterk9.com/site/870877/product/LEEDZ1
(or just have someone make a double ended leash)

Sue and Atty