Doggie do’s and don’ts for summer car travel

Roaming with Rover this spring or summer?

If so, be careful. Unrestrained pets cause more than 30,000 vehicle accidents annually, according to an American Automobile Assn. survey. But there are ways to make travels with your pet safer, advised Carson dog trainer Sierra Smith during a pet travel seminar held recently at Recreation Dog Park in Long Beach.

Smith gave a group of well-traveled dogs and their human companions on-the-road safety tips — including demonstrations of pet restraint equipment — during sessions sponsored by Toyota Venza.

Her top recommendation: Crate your dog while it’s in the car. Other tips include never letting pets ride in the front seat, confining them to the back hatch area (if it’s roomy enough), using harness restraints that clip to the back seat belt or a back seat zip line (optional equipment in some vehicles (including the new Venza).

Also always make sure your dog’s ID is up to date and lists your phone number and bring along a copy of your dog’s vet records when you travel.

If you use a correction collar on your dog, never leave it on while in the car. And remember to give your dog breaks every two or three hours while traveling and never leave your pet in the car on a hot day.

– Rosemary McClure

[Photo: Toyota]

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 3, 2009 at 2:00 pm by Editor and is filed under News, Tips & Advice, Travel with Pets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.