Dog Car Seat Failure.

[Jennifer and Jack]

Jack and I just had the scare of both of our lives. We were driving to do some errands, Jack was in the backseat in his booster seat that sits in the center of the back of my car. The booster seat was seat belted in and he was attached by harness to the booster seat.

 I have a Honda CRV. We were on a back road.. I was going about 45-50 mph. The person in front of me slammed on their brakes as a response to the car in front of them. I slammed on my brakes and Jack who was in a booster seat.. went flying like a 10 pound sack of potatoes up against my windshield of my car..he hit it full force and then was thrown under the dash board of the passenger side car....the little strap that was from the booster seat completely came out from the seam of the booster seat right where it was sewn in... When I say it didn't even slow Jack down, I am serious, it was as if it was not secured at all but rather tucked in. 

I immediately got out of the car...and Jack was knocked out.... I picked him up and he started panting really heavy... He didn't yelp or anything just panted heavy...He was only out for what I would guess less then a minute..

My vet was the closest place to bring him.... they took him right back, he has concussion but other then that he is okay. He has thrown up a few times. I have to check his pupils every hour or so to make sure they are responded right and if not I need to bring him to emergency...

Right now he seems okay, just nervous.. (who wouldn't be if they were just smashed into a windshield) My vet said to get rid of the booster seat totally, to write a letter to the company of the booster seat and to try a different means of strapping him in. The more high up they are the more likely they are to be ejected.....also because he was in the center, which I assumed was the safest afterall that is where we they tell you to put babies, he didn't even have a seat to slow him down or to brace him.

I still can't believe what I saw with my eyes... I am sure he is fine but please learn from us, we were not even on a major highway like we usually are where the speed limit is 70MPH just a country back road.... Please find safe measures to keep your baby from being ejected, had he weighed more, no doubt, he would have broken my windshield and who knows what would have happen to him, Please don't wait till it happens to you....I think he is going to be just fine, but I will never trust another dog carseat..

THe other harness that you can buy that strap to the carseat without the booster are too long and they will leave Jack hanging if I stopped short.. which I suppose is better then the windshield but I would like an even better more safe way. Jack is almost always in the car with me, it is rare that he isn't.. I seriously am going to see if he will tolerate a regular kids carseat.. I don't know about him sitting like that though if he will stay.. 

I read on here not that long ago, but a while ago, someone else making a plea to make sure your dogs were for sure safe in a car.. I didn't listen I just assumed...

Again, Jack is fine minus a concussion but seeing something you love so much thrown up against a windshield  knowing that they fully rely on you to keep them safe made me feel like an epic failure.

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Wow, that's scary. Hope he recovers quickly. I keep putting buying the car harness off all the time....

[Jennifer and Jack]

at least Jarka you have the net up in your car that will semi stop them from going through the windshield.... unless you took it down since the last time I was in your car :)

I would still strap them in... It would be a big shame on me if I didn't thank God nothing worse happen and also make sure that I do something to be POSITIVE if we stop short or God forbid get in an accident I know I have done all I can to ensure his safety.   

[Leslie and Halas]

I'm so relieved that he's going to be ok. How scary!

[Sheila & Finnley]

Oh how horrible and scary. I'm glad that Jack wasn't hurt more then the concussion, but that in itself is scary too !

Speedy recovery Jack !

[Camilla and Darwin]

I hope Jack is okay, how scary for both of you

[Colleen, Jake & Baxter]

How scary for you and Jack!  Jennifer, you could be a poster child woman for how to take awesome care of your doodle!  Please do not let negative tapes run through your head calling you what you named yourself above because that is not you!!!  I am glad Jack is ok and please be at peace.  You and Jack were protected.

[Jennifer and Jack]

Thanks....you are so sweet..

[BG and Gavin]

Jenn this is terrible!  I hope the two of you are okay.  It must have been very traumatic.  I am going to hunt down a pic of our system that is very simple and works great (brake tested last fall when we had to make a sudden maneuver at high speed).  Maybe it can help you or others.

[DJ & Chance]

I will really appreciate this.  I now lack confidence in the system I have for Chance.

[Jennifer and Jack]

That would be amazing....  I would love to see it... Jack really seems like he is fine.. He is playing, asking for walks and is acting like himself.. He is annoyed I keep looking at his pupils with a flash light but I will be doing that all night.. because I am OCD like that :)

[Stella]

I'd like to know what you have BruceGirl because I know you have a bigger dog and are in Canada and the product available here are often different!  Chase is a nightmare to secrure in the car.  He sits on the back seat and is a restless traveller, he likes to go from side to side to ook out the window.  The first harness we tried kept getting him all tangeld up.  The next one he worked out how to get it off over his head.  The last one we tried, he managed to work out how to unbuckle it from the seatbelt buckle!!  I gave up after that but, I do wrry about him if we get in an accident.  Hartley travels in the trunk of my SUV and usually lies down quietly!!

[BG and Gavin]

Sorry for the delay Stella - I have been meaning to get back to you.  Gavin's harness is a Rogz:  It is just like this one:  http://www.amazon.ca/1-Inch-Lumberjack-Reflective-Harness-X-Large/d...  I bought it at my local pet store (not Petsmart)

The coupler looks like this:  http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11147031&lm...

I bought it at Petsmart.