There has been a lot of buzz going on about dog car seat harnesses and if they are as safe as the manufacturer claims. There is good reason, too. Pet safety manufacturers make claims based on their own tests of their products, but there are no uniform performance standards set for pet travel safety products. So the test passes, but who made the test? They did.

My family always had Subaru's while I was growing up. They have been hailed as some of the safest vehicles on the road, and in a first time study, Subaru of America teamed up with specialists to determine if these products stood up to the claims made. These tests were carried out at the same testing center used by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). They took the seven most popular dog harnesses, and tested them in a simulated collision at 60 MPH. The results were horrifying! Most of the harnesses broke. Some tore, and some came completely detached!

The American Pet Products Association gave the CPS report praise, however they did not have a formal position on it. They do however support the effort to improve and enhance pet safety.

Source: http://centerforpetsafety.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/2013_cps_harness_study_summary_final_rev101113.pdf

So... what's the deal here! We set out to buy something for our pets that will keep them safer, when in reality it is just creating false comfort. This goes to show that no matter what claims are made on a product, use your best judgement and try not to fall for marketing tricks. My advice is to get things your friends can recommend to you.

Stay safe! Walk your dog at night with our LED Dog Collar.

The Pet's Tech