Riding Certified Means Having No Regrets

That's what a dog mom said at a seatbelt fitting one day. If you're ever in a car crash, whether major, minor or fender bender, would your dog be safe? If your dog wasn't in a certified seatbelt and was injured, how would you feel? What if your dog was killed in the crash?

Unfortunately dogs are lost, injured, and killed from car crashes much more than you know. Only a snapshot of this ever makes the news. Piper's crash shut down the entire road, closing traffic from both directions, but hey there wasn't a news feature on it.

Being in a crash is a scary thing. Dogs enter fight or flight mode. Piper was paralyzed, so her instinct was to fight, growling at her rescuers. Dogs who are mobile tend to flee. There are tons of organizations out there that specialize in finding dogs lost from car crashes.

Some are found and make it home safely. Some are found injured. Some are found deceased. And some are never found.

Although the world doesn't have numerical data on dogs in car crashes, the stories are plentiful. That's why buckling up your dog in a certified seatbelt is so necessary. You never want to find yourself reaching out to your local lost pets organization, wondering where your dog is, if he/she is alive, and why you didn't just buckle up your pup earlier.

No regrets, right?

So let's dive into what exactly a certified seatbelt is, and why the fact that it's certified plays a crucial role in your dog's safety.

Any dog car safety restraint (harness, carrier, kennel, car seat, etc.), that has passed ALL of Center for Pet Safety's crash testing criteria and standards, receiving certified status from the organization.

Center for Pet Safety (CPS) crash tests dog seatbelts. They have a certification program with high standards, as they should be! As of September 2021, only 5 brands have been certified. Within these 5 brands, there are 10 products total.

That means only 10 products have been shown to protect dogs in the car...to give them the best chance of survival. All the other hundreds of dog "seatbelts" out there, either failed the crash test, haven't sought certification, or don't even qualify to be tested.

The problem is, the pet industry isn't regulated. CPS standards aren't required. So companies can use their own standards and call a product "crash tested. " Maybe it passed the company's test, but not CPS' test.

If a product fails ANY crash test, can you really call it safe? Would YOU put your dog in it? CPS also has an advisory out against tethers, the simplest, most common method people who DO buckle up their pup use.

Tethers have been shown to increase the risk for spinal damage and paralysis in a crash, yet they're still being heavily marketed and sold in stores. It's not right.

Certified seatbelts aren't easily found in local stores, at least not in Maryland. But the noncertified ones, oh yeah, easy peasy.

So easy, that sometimes it can sneak right into your home if you're not careful. Some walking harnesses automatically come with car tethers, and are advertised for its convenience. You can use the harness to walk your dog AND buckle up in the car.

If that's appealing to you, good news. You can do that with a certified harness too, no tether needed!

Having a certified seatbelt means peace of mind. Peace of mind that your dog is traveling in the safest way possible.

The seatbelts that are certified have gone through a rigorous process. The quality is there!

So, if you're going to buckle up your pup in a certified seatbelt, (remember, no regrets!) then it's got to be one listed in the chart below. Head to www.centerforpetsafety.org to watch the crash tests for each of the products.

Then come right back to Dogs Ride Certified to figure out what's the best seatbelt option for your dog! After all, you buckle up. Why doesn't your pup?

Let's get your dog Riding Certified. Regrets have no place here!

HARNESSES

Sleepypod Clickit Sport Harness, all sizes

Sleepypod Clickit Terrain Harness, all sizes

CARRIERS

Sleepypod Air

Sleepypod Atom

Sleepypod Mobile

Sleepypod Mini

Lucky Kennel - all sizes (intermediate and large)

Gunner Kennel - size small, medium and intermediate Large is NOT certified

Rocketeer Pack Jetsetter Bag is NOT certified

Pet Carrier