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.

[Jennifer and Jack]

I just wrote out this long response and it poofed away... I am not sure I could put Jack back in a harness after seeing how they are 100 fail rate and how they actually can decapitate a dog.  UGGG 

I agree Jack would hate a crate and we also go driving a lot when I don't feel up to walking him. He goes for all my errands and shopping. 

Jack just showed some more signs he isn't feeling well not a big deal but he loves walks, We on average walk about 2 plus miles a day.. Since it was about 24 hours since he got hurt, I figured I would let him walk a little bit.. We went just a few houses and he was pulling to go back home... as I turned around to bring him home he was asking to be picked up.. I carried him home and seemed a little off... 

Some of the neighborhood kids came over. Jack see's them everyday. He adores them, plays with them, rides in their power cars together.... they came to bring him some get well cards and he wouldn't let them near him.. He jumped in my lap and clung to me..... I sent the kids home and he relaxed... so I guess he is still off a bit....  Still thanking God that is all......

I wish I was smart enough to figure out a really safe method of transporting him while he still got to enjoy the going for a ride thing... I just can't think yet.......

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

I am so sorry you are going through all of this and thank goodness it wasn't worse.  Prayers and hugs to you and Jack.  Happy to hear he is doing a little better today.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

OMG what a fright. There must be a safe way to keep our precious doodles safe in our cars? So glad jack seems alright and hoping both of you didn't get too much of a fright.

[Jennifer and Jack]

If you can find a tested method that has been proven not to fail.. you will be my hero :)  I think we all just have to do the best we can and just be aware.. Without a doubt I think there needs to be something to prevent them from coming through the front like a missile ... I don't like the idea of bars because that is not any softer then a windshield........ but of course they would hit that faster so maybe with less force.. IDK.... I am most likely going to get a hammock up so he at least wont be launched... that is first step. I don't know if a bigger dog could have stopped themselves more then Jack... He seriously looked like a sack of 10 pound potatoes... 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I don't know either if a bigger dog could stop any better. They wouldn't fit between the two front seats as easily that's for sure, and they certainly both wouldn't go through at the same time, but flying around in a car at any size is dangerous. Hitting the grate is going to hurt, no doubt, however it has to be better than a dog becoming a projectile through the car. Geez, decapitate a dog.....scary thought. Giving me lots to think about Jen.

[Jennifer and Jack]

I don't mean to be freakish that is just what happen when they did the crash testing.. the video is on one of these pages of this post....the harness moved up around the dogs neck and the impact was so significant it did an almost complete decapitation of the test dog... 

I agree the grate is better then being projected to the windshield or through it... no doubt.  I am going to get a hammock thing when I can to stop him from being able to be thrown up front.

[Cathy, Fozzie & Shaggy]

Oh dear, what happened to you is a nightmare.  I know my Fozzie preferrs to ride in the back seat and prop his head between the front seats or sit up and look out the window.  I feel much better though when he's in the crate .  A friend of mine has her crates raised up and bolted down on a homemade platform in the back of her mini van.  This gives her storage under the crates and her dogs can look out the window.  My guys are too tall to raise the crate but I did find extra tall crates that will fit side by side in an SUV from Diane Brooks.  I sure hope Jack continues to improve!!

[e-mail]

[F, Calla & Luca]

What is that email?

[Leslie J]

How scary!!! I hope Jack feels better in the morning! I hope you get a good night's rest too- I'm sure you're exhausted from checking Jack all night.

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

Oh poor Jack.... I hope he is on his was to a speedy recovery.  Thanks for sharing Jennifer, I am in the process of getting my doodles restraints and there are just so many out there it is very confusing.  I hope you both are better now.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

This one looks MUCH better than the one we are currently using.  And it appears to have been put through some testing...what are your thoughts on it?

http://http://www.v9dt.com/index.htm

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Hope Jack has completely recovered by now. How is he doing?