Today is Pet Travel Safety Day and to help raise awareness I have a guest blog for you from Claire Harris.
Claire runs Pets 2 Places a pet taxi company that has franchises in Milton Keynes and Solihull.
I actually met Claire at the Animal Star Awards 2019 when I was judging the Best Pet Related Business Award, which Claire actually won!
Claire Harris owner of Pets2Places with Rachel Rodgers owner of Nose to Trail at the Animal Star Awards ceremony
Here’s what she has to say about Pet Travel Safety Day:
We are celebrating our 2nd Pet Travel Safety day. What a year its been!
Pet transport is serious business.
Lets recap from last year on what is best for your pet;
Pet Travel Safety Day a day dedicated to raising awareness that every time you go in your vehicle you need to make sure your pet is restrained by using crash tested equipment, and in an appropriate position in the car.
Cats:
· If you are using a crash tested carrier that is suitable to be used with a seatbelt this is fine to go on the backseat. Do check this is what yours is designed for before putting it on the back seat.
· If you do not have a crash tested carrier, position your basket on the floor behind the driver or passenger seat. A study undertaken by More Than car insurance shows you are 10 times more likely to crash at 30mph than any other speed. Which means your seats will not crush the carrier.
If you are not using a crash tested carrier, the wire mesh with the lid opening type are the most sturdy.
Dogs
To transport your dogs safely you should be looking at transporting them in the following ways:
Small & Medium Dogs
· A crash tested harness on the back seat
· A crash tested crate in your boot, this must be anchored down correctly
Medium/Large
· A large dog needs plenty of space to lay down, if your dog does not have the space to do this a harness on the back seat would not be suitable.
· A crash tested crate, anchored down
Large/Giant Breeds
· If your dog is too big for a crate you will need a crash tested dog guard
· I would recommend you use this with a crash tested Tailgate.
· If possible, restrain your dog within this space. Currently there are no crash tested pieces of equipment for this. Do take extra care with how you do this and never attach anything to a collar, only a harness.
When choosing the right piece of equipment for your dog, the crash tested option will always be better than anything not crash tested. These are often more expensive but your dog’s safety is worth every penny!
If you would like to find out more about Claire and her company you can visit: www.pets2places.co.uk or search for Pets2Places on social media.
In case you are wondering Nose to Trail’s collect and train service does have crash tested crates to keep your pooch safe!
I invested heavily in my wonderful TransK9 crate that is designed specifically for my vehicle. In the photo above you can see adorable Liv the West Highland Terrier who was riding in style (and safety) for her training package and you may also have seen my crates in videos on social media with brilliant Bob who is my biggest client and he still fits in comfortably! These crates are crash tested. If you have a dog walker who takes your dog in a van, have you checked if theirs are?
I hope you have found this blog helpful, if you have then you can help raise awareness of Pet Travel Safety Day, by sharing this content with everyone you know to help them travel safely with their pets.
1st July 2022 marks the 31st anniversary that it became law for everyone in a car to wear a seat belt.
We’ve come such a long way protecting people. Let’s start protecting our pets!