5 safety tips for summer road trips with dogs

Summer is prime time for traveling, especially for pet owners taking road trip vacations. Lots of dog lovers take their canine companions along for the ride. Professional pet sitters and boarding kennels can be costly, and many folks choose to include their dogs for family vacations, especially in the summer.

How can pet lovers travel safely on the road this summer with their canine companions?

Here are five tips for safer summer road trips with dogs.

NOTE: Written by this author, this copyrighted material originally appeared on another publisher’s site. That site no longer exists. This author holds all rights to this content. No republication is allowed without permission.

1. Choose and use secure seating for a traveling dog.

Each year, countless dogs are injured inside moving vehicles, particularly during sudden stops and vehicular accidents. An untethered animal may stumble, fall, or be catapulted through the interior of a car or truck, winding up with broken bones and other injuries. Others may be harmed by loose objects that fall upon them inside a vehicle.

Do dogs need seat belts inside vehicles for on-the-road safety? Vehicular safety belts and harnesses are available for pets. Some of these products attach to existing seat belts, while others may be factory installed. Although pet seat belts are not legal requirements, many dog owners do choose to use them to prevent injuries. Other pet owners put their smaller dogs in airy pet crates to keep them secure inside moving vehicles.

Dogs should not be held on drivers’ laps during on-road travel, as this can be both dangerous and distracting. In addition, a pet may be crushed by a sudden release of a vehicular airbag.

2. Don’t put dogs in pickup truck beds.

In many regions, humans may not legally ride in the back of a moving pickup truck. However, few areas have laws restricting this practice with pets. Animals (particularly dogs) are often seen traveling in the open beds of pickup trucks. This form of canine transport can be extremely hazardous, as dogs may fall or fly out of pickup truck beds on bumpy roads or with sudden stops.

Similar hazards may occur with sudden stops in vehicles with convertible tops or sunroofs.

3. Take lots of water breaks when traveling with a dog.

Long-distance road trips may take several hours, and dogs undoubtedly require water breaks. Compassionate and cautionary pet owners will offer dogs fresh, clean water (not roadside puddles, which may be contaminated with chemicals or other hazards) and an opportunity to potty outside their vehicles. (Of course, dog owners will want to pick up after their pets, if necessary.)

4. Use a collar and leash during road trips with a dog.

Far too many dogs may be endangered, injured, or killed in roadway accidents annually. Others may be bitten or maimed (or even bred) by unfamiliar dogs in rest areas, parks or other roadside stopping points.

Many of these tragedies could be avoided by the use of collars and leashes (or pet harnesses) during road trips. Even the most obedient dogs may become confused or overexcited in unfamiliar surroundings, so compassionate restraint is well advised.

5. Never leave a dog unattended in a vehicle.

Although most dogs seem to enjoy traveling in moving vehicles, a parked car presents a completely different scenario.

Within just a few minutes, the interior of a stationary vehicle on a hot day may reach dangerous levels. Even with the windows open, a car’s inside temperature may quickly exceed 120 (F) degrees – potentially causing heatstroke, brain damage, heart failure, or even death for pets trapped inside.

By taking a few precautions, pet lovers can enjoy summer road trips with their canine companions. Of course, it’s also a good idea to take along each dog’s health records (including verification of current immunizations) and to affix identification tags on each dog’s collar, whether or not the pet has been microchipped.

The dog days of summer can be an ideal occasion for traveling with treasured pets, especially when these basic on-road safety precautions are taken.

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Pet product review: Outward Hound Hands Free Hipster with Dog Leash

Here’s a handy hands-free storage belt for runners, hikers, and walkers who like to take their dogs along. The Outward Hound Hands Free Hipster (which comes with a dog leash) has three zippered pockets (including one that fits a standard-sized water bottle) and two open mesh ones for holding all sorts of take-alongs.

Product publicity photo - fair use

I purchased the Outward Hound Hands Free Hipster with Dog Leash in lime green. The product (labeled as item 23004), which is made in China, also comes in light blue. It retails for about $30, but it can be found on Amazon for less than $20. There’s also a matching collapsible bowl (in 24- and 48-ounce size options) that can clip on easily for use on hikes or longer walks and runs.

Product publicity photo - fair use

This product reviewer purchased the product described and evaluated here, and the reviewer has no prior or existing relationship (either familial or professional) with the creator, manufacturer or marketer of the product.

The product design makes the Outward Hound Hands Free Hipster comfortable to wear.

It’s lightweight and breathable. The webbed belting is adjustable (although it doesn’t stay snug enough during running or other movement, particularly on a slimmer person. Instead, the belt shifts and slides and spins around the waist, especially if the dog is a tugger or a puller.

Product publicity photo - fair use

The fit, though changeable, isn’t perfect for everyone.

The belt adjustment may fit a wide variety of wearers (even over bulkier seasonal apparel), but I found it does not go tight enough to fit snugly on a smaller person. Personally, I find that the whole thing slips lower and lower, the longer I wear it, requiring frequent adjustment. I wish the product were available in various sizes. It’s also quite wide for a shorter wearer.

The leash attachment is easy, but is it sufficiently sturdy?

Metal D-rings are attached to both sides of the Outward Hound Hands Free Hipster, so a dog leash may be fastened to either one, or two dogs may be walked (with one on each side). This arrangement may be sturdy enough for a small- to medium-sized dog who does not yank or pull hard, but I have heard of multiple users who have experienced breakage of this feature, in which their D-rings have torn off of the belt.

Disclaimer: The product packaging includes a disclaimer that says, "Caution: Not intended to restrain dogs that pull heavily. Intended for dog use only."

During each run, I tend to switch my dog's leash from one D-ring to the other, as my direction shifts and as the belt seems to slide back and forth on my waist.

Gotta love a lotta pockets!

The pockets are more-than ample for storing a cell phone, a set of keys, a pair of glasses, and other essentials. The zippered cargo pockets are not ideal for carrying loose treats or small items, however, as the zippers begin around the five-o’clock spot (if you think of the front of the pockets as clock faces), so items tend to fall out while the wearer is accessing them.

The center pocket opens and folds down to become a water bottle carrier, including a toggled drawstring at the top. This is handy, although the water bottle tends to be carried in the center of the wearer’s own back, if a dog is attached to one of the belt rings in front.

Let’s lose the leash.

Immediately, I discarded the five-foot lightweight webbed leash that came in the package. Although it sported handy snap clips on both ends, it was simply too flimsy for running with my medium-sized Lab Mix dog. I use this storage belt often for cani-cross, which sort of demands a stretchy bungee-style leash. Plus, I think a five-foot leash is a little short for trail running with an energetic dog.

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Product photos – fair use

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