SAFTEY FIRST!
You put your pet in the back seat of your car and off you go without another
thought, content that Rover, Kitty, or Polly will enjoy the trip as much
as you. STOP! This is an accident waiting to happen.
We all love our pets and want them to go with us whenever it’s possible.
So, take a moment and think before putting your pet in the back seat. Would
you put a child back there without some type of restraint? Isn’t
your pet your “child”? What should you do?
Thousands of accidents happen or are made worse because someone put their
pet in the back of their vehicle without a restraint. I won’t bore
you with the statistics on it, but I can tell you they show horrible accidents,
many of which owners, pets or both do not make it out alive. These happen
because there were no restraints to keep the pet inside the vehicle and
away from the driver. The pet became a projectile being thrown into the
driver causing that person to lose control of the vehicle, or was projected
through a windshield and once outside, ran over.
“But, restraints are expensive.” This is a fallacy. Most restraints
are both simple and inexpensive. The easiest restraint can be a chest harness
with a nylon strap hooked to the seat belt by way of a metal heavy-duty
hook. These sell for under $50.00. Another help is the tether line. This
runs from one hook at one end of the vehicle to another at the other end.
The line is hooked or runs through the pet’s harness. Many sell for
under $30.00. This is less expensive than a veterinarian’s charge
for taking care of an injured animal.
“Restraints are time consuming!” They don’t have to
be. There are many on the market from either a local pet store or on-line
web site that make available easily installed pet barriers. One barrier
is made of mesh and can be put up or taken down at will with little effort.
One needs to put the fasteners in permanently, then the mesh is attached
at the time of need. An easy turn of knobs and it’s on or off. Its
cost is around $39.00. Another is a metal portable pet barrier. These require
only a twisting motion of two knobs that expand upward. These are temporary
and easily put up and taken down, although require only a little more effort
than the mesh barrier. Their cost is between $60.00 and $100.00. What price
do you put on your pet’s safety?
Dogs and cats aren’t the only pets that need transportation. From
time to time, a fish, an iguana, a monkey or some other exotic will need
a trip to the vet. Putting a fish on the front seat in front of you can
be extremely dangerous. You will be concerned about it falling on the floor
or being tossed through the air. A monkey climbs all over and an iguana
has special temperature needs. Can you supply these for your pets?
If the answer is no, a pet owner needs to realize that emergencies will
come. This is why a pet owner needs to have a plan for professional transportation.
Your local pet transportation company has all the safety equipment, the
time, the know-how and the public’s trust to treat your pet as you
would. A truly professional pet transportation company focuses only on
safe transportation of your pet. It will have a checklist of emergency
facilities. One call and you will rest easy knowing your pet is being transported
quickly, efficiently, and safely to the nearest help.
Much like our human family, we want immediate care for our pets. A professional
pet transportation company knows how to do that. If you don’t have
a pet transportation company at your ready, do a web search for one near
you. If they don’t have 24-hour service, please call us. With 24-hour
service, we can ensure your pet the best in transportation.
Julie Grant is owner of Pet Chauffeur Transport, a pet chauffeur company that operates in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and suburbs. She is available for special presentations and talks. Pet Chauffeur appreciates your comments and encourages you to send them, whether pro or con, to oegrant2@juno.com. All contents and articles on this website are copyrighted and require the express written permission of the author for copies, distribution, or use outside of this website.
